Iran warns US against ‘foolish’ moves against Syria

Rasa - Iran has warned Washington against taking any “foolish” decisions with regards to Syria, as speculation mounts that the administration of US President Donald Trump is gearing up for a military strike against the country.

News ID: 436850

Date: 14 March 2018 - 23:26

RNA - Speaking to reporters in a briefing on Wednesday, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Bahram Qassemi advised Washington to carefully consider the implications before adopting any interventionist policies in the Middle East.

“That America takes hostile actions against the countries of the region is nothing new but the US cannot intervene and this is a kind of invasion nonetheless,” said Qassemi.

“Nations in the region have shown that they will not accept foreign presence and we hope the US reconsiders this foolish decision,” he added.

There have been reports that the US and some of its Western allies partaking in an airstrike campaign against purported terrorist positions inside Syria are considering a large-scale military action against the Arab country under the pretext that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad uses chemical weapons against its people.

US Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley stirred more concerns on Monday, saying Washington was ready to unilaterally “act” against Syria, just as it did last year when it bombed a Syrian government air base.

The Trump administration used a similar excuse in April 2017 to fire a barrage of cruise missiles against an airbase that Washington claimed Damascus had used to conduct a sarin gas attack on Khan Shaykhun village in Idlib Province days earlier.

Syria has denied the allegations, arguing that it has no reason to resort to chemical weapons while its forces have the upper hand in the fight against terrorists.

Iran’s advisory role

Defending Tehran’s military advisory role in Syria, Qassemi said Wednesday that unlike the US-led coalition, Iran’s presence in Syria has been based on an official request by Damascus to help it with the fight against terrorism.

“We hope that peace returns to Syria through diplomacy,” he said.

According to Press TV, the possibility of a new US-led attack against Assad’s government has gained more weight in the recent weeks, following the Syrian military’s advances in Eastern Ghouta, a Damascus suburb and one of the last strongholds of Daesh terrorists.

Russia’s concerns

Moscow has also warned Washington that, unlike the last time, it will respond if Syria is attacked once more and its servicemen there are threatened.

The Kremlin fears that any attacks against Syrian military sites would put in harm’s way the lives of thousands of Russian military forces who are stationed across Syria to help the country with its ongoing fight against terrorists.

“There are many Russian advisers, representatives of the Russian Center for Reconciliation of Opposing Sides and servicemen in Damascus and at Syrian defense facilities,” the RIA news agency quoted head of Russia’s General Staff Valery Gerasimov as saying on Tuesday.

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