The Syrian regime insists that it is defending itself against threat by “terrorist” groups. Even after striking a historic diplomatic nuclear deal with Iran this summer, the US remained skeptical of engaging Iranian officials on the topic of a political transition in Syria.
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Iran said Wednesday it will attend the worldwide talks on Syria’s future later this week in Vienna, following an invitation from the Russian envoy that would mark Tehran’s first appearance at such a gathering.
Now, by taking part in the talks, Iran can help strengthen the stance taken by Putin and Assad for his continued leadership in Syria until elections are held.
It didn’t provide details but said Zarif discussed the Syrian crisis with his Russian counterpart, Sergey Lavrov, on Tuesday night and Wednesday morning. “It is our responsibility”.
Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said at Thursday’s briefing that Moscow is satisfied to see that Iran and Egypt have been invited to join the talks among other participants.
If the US and its allies contend that vision cannot be reached with Assad in power, Iran and Russian Federation can counter that a fragmented rebellion dominated by Sunni Islamic hard-liners will hardly achieve it either. Previously, the U.S. and Saudi Arabia had been very much opposed to the idea of Iranian participation.
More than 250,000 people have been killed in Syria s war since it began in March 2011 following a bloody crackdown on protests against Assad s rule.
“My friends, the challenge we face in Syria today is nothing less than to chart a course out of hell”, Kerry said Wednesday in a speech at the Carnegie Endowment for global Peace.
Iran says it supports a political solution in Syria, but says Assad should be part of the process.
Syria, along with Hezbollah, are key Iranian allies in what Tehran calls the “axis of resistance” against the United States and Israel.
Britain’s Foreign Office said the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, and Jordan will also be present. In exchange, Iran is to get relief from worldwide sanctions that have crippled its economy.
The deal raised prospects for mending a U.S.-Iran relationship that has been strained since the 1979 Islamic Revolution that brought the current Iranian system into being.
While the USA doesn’t approve of Iran’s “destabilizing activities” in Syria, Mr. Kirby said American officials “always have recognized that at a few point in the discussion, moving toward a political transition, we have to have a conversation and a dialogue with Iran”.
Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and three of his deputies will travel to Vienna, Iranian state news agencies said. But there’s no agreement on a replacement, or on how a new Syrian government will be able to take on Islamic State and other jihadi groups operating in the country. Then the USA, in effect, blocked Iranian attendance.
Salami also acknowledged Monday that the number of Iranians dying in Syria has increased.
The group, which is also known as Daesh and by the acronyms ISIL and ISIS, has seized swathes of territory in both Syria and Iraq over the past year and a half.
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“It is hard to square… the facts on the ground with the potential for a few grand diplomatic solution”, Senator Bob Corker said during a Capitol Hill hearing on U.S. Middle East strategy. In Yemen, Saudi Arabia has led an air-and-ground campaign since March against Iran-supported Houthi rebels who control the capital, San’a.
