Syrian delegation discusses cooperation, coordination with Tehran officials

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - A Syrian delegation met with Iranian officials on Monday to express solidarity amid tensions between the US and Tehran.

Headed by Syrian Prime Minister Imad Khamis, the delegation, which included Foreign Minister Walid al-Moallem, Defense Minister Ali Ayoub and the ambassador to Iran met with various officials  in Tehran including Iranian first Vice President Eshaq Jahangiri, Iran’s Parliamentary Speaker and Tehran’s Ambassador to Syria, Syrian state media reported. 

The delegation’s arrival highlighted the close relations between Damascus and Tehran, with the latter being the Syrian regime's main ally in the ongoing civil war. 

Khamis expressed Syria’s “full solidarity” with Iran following recent developments in the country, such as the death of Iran Revolutionary Guard Corps (ICRG) Quds Force commander Qassem Soleimani in a US drone strike. 

Iran has militarily supported the Syrian regime, led by Bashar al-Assad, in its nine-year war against opposition groups as well as the Islamic State (ISIS).

The conflict is said to have killed over half a million and displaced over 11 million, both within Syria and overseas, according to figures obtained by Human Rights Watch. 

Tehran’s Defense Minister Amir Hatami had previously vowed Iran would “stay beside its Syrian brothers” as the civil war continues.

Iran supports various foreign proxy groups and also funds Hezbollah,  a Shiite militia that has staunchly supported Assad in Syria. 

In the Monday meeting. both sides stressed the need to maintain their cooperation and coordination.

Iran has experienced two very busy weeks after the death of Soleimani and Iran’s retaliatory missile attacks against US military bases in Iraq, followed by the ICRG shooting down a Ukranian Airlines flight last week, killing 176 civilians.

The tragedy has prompted a new wave of protests in Iran rallying against the government. Security forces have reportedly responded with tear gas and live ammunition. 

Iran and its proxies in Iraq are pushing for the withdrawal of US troops in the country and the region, a subject also discussed with the visiting delegation. 

Jahangiri said in his meeting with the Syrian delegation that US troops have to withdraw from the region, constituting “real revenge” for the death of Soleimani, reported Iran’s state-affiliated Islamic Republic News Agency.