“The two leaders pledged to remain in close contact on these and related issues, and reaffirmed the strong and enduring strategic partnership between the United States and Saudi Arabia”, it said.
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Explosives-filled suicide drones believed to be of Russian or Iranian origin were reportedly unleashed to strike US-backed rebels near a western Syrian city, causing damage to rebel-held neighbourhoods and the targeted location.
The confluence of events has for the first time in Iran led a few to openly question the country’s four-year involvement in Syria, with concerns aired on social media.
Other participants, notably the United States, have called for Assad’s departure as a precondition for peace.
News of Iran’s possible participation in talks to stem the violence was met with opposition from defense hawks who have accused the White House of being too eager to negotiate with geopolitical adversaries, such as Iran.
Secretary of State John Kerry leaves the Capitol in Washington, Tuesday, October 27, 2015, after briefing the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on the Administrations response to the Syrian conflict, in a closed session. They vowed to build on recent diplomatic efforts.
This has been widely disputed, both on the basis of general analysis of Iran’s regional strategy and on the basis of Iranian officials explicit statement. But Iran clearly has a stake in Syria’s future, as Assad’s government has helped the Iranians exert dominance over nearby Lebanon and threaten Israel through their proxy, Hezbollah.
Separately, the USA said it was prepared to intensify its campaign against IS.
“Having Iran at the table complicates the goal of getting rid of Assad, but potentially opens the door to a few kind of de-escalatory track”, he added.
Britain, France, Germany, Jordan and the United Arab Emirates will also attend this week’s gathering.
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In Tehran, where war dead are revered and remembered in giant public murals, newly erected memorials are a sign of the human cost that Iran is paying in Syria, amid worries of what is to come. Since last month, Russian Federation has launched hundreds of airstrikes targeting Islamic State and other terrorist groups.
