The Iranian minister also criticized the United States, Saudi Arabia and some other regional states for what he said “supporting the terrorists” under the guise of so-called “moderate opposition”.
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The defense ministers of Iran, Russia and Syria have met in Teheran on Thursday on the Iranian side’s initiative to discuss the situation in the region and ways of stepping up and expanding struggle against terrorism.
Russian Federation launched its bombing campaign in Syria in September, significantly improving the position of President Bashar al-Assad’s regime. Also, there was no initial information suggesting Russian Federation would agree to the request. In a televised speech to Syria’s new parliament June 7, President Bashar al-Assad hinted at the objective of the meeting when he said, “We will liberate every inch of Syria from the hands of the opposition”.
United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon says while the time is not yet right for new peace talks in Syria, failing to get a serious agreement soon will make a further escalation all too likely.
Iranian Defense Minister Hossein Dehghan, for his part, said Iran has always been a promoter of dialogue among the Syrians for resolving the crisis, noting that Iran agrees to a guaranteed ceasefire that does not give space to terrorists to bolster their resources. Areas in and around the northern city of Aleppo, as well as the rebel-held districts surrounding Damascus, continue to be battlegrounds.
Last week, during a closed-door meeting of the Security Council, diplomats said they will be asking permission from the Syrian government to airdrop aid packages in besieged areas and described airdrops as a “last resort” to reach thousands of civilians in need of aid.
Russia’s language in the past two weeks has been starkly different than in previous months – since Washington and Moscow announced a cessation of hostilities deal in February.
During the meeting, al-Freij slammed U.S. and Turkish support for terrorists, adding that some Gulf States speak of fraternal ties binding them with the Syrian people as they overtly patronize terrorist organizations committing heinous crimes against Syrians.
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The official lauded the courageous policies of Russian President Vladimir Putin in launching an all-out fight against terrorism in Syria. Iranian media has covered extensively successive Syrian army victories.
