Syria Today | Assad condemns foreign interference in Iran

Assad condemns foreign interference in Iran

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad condemned Western powers for interfering in Iranian affairs in the aftermath of the Islamic State’s controversial presidential election during a one-day visit to Tehran on August 19, Reuters news agency reported.

Assad congratulated Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on his victory in the June 12 election which moderate opponents claim was rigged. Massive street demonstrations following the election resulted in hundreds of protestors and high-profile reformist figures being detained by Iranian security forces.

“I came here today to personally convey my warm congratulations to you and the Iranian nation,” Assad told Ahmadinejad according to the state-run Iranian news agency IRNA. “I believe what has happened in Iran was a great event and a great lesson for foreigners.”

Iranian-Western relations, already strained following Western allegations that Tehran is pursuing a covert nuclear programme, nosedived in the aftermath of the election. Ahmadinejad and his supporters accuse the West, particularly the US, France and Britain, of spying and fomenting the street protests.

Last month, authorities put two Iranian employees from the British and French embassies on trial, accusing them of spying, but later released them on bail. The UK and France denied the allegations and condemned the charges.

IRNA reported that the “Syrian president, in his meeting with the Iranian president, condemned the interference of foreign countries in Iran’s internal affairs”. It also quoted Assad as saying: “The main reason for the West’s interference is to block Iran and Syria’s frequent victories.”

Referring to regional issues, Assad insisted that Syrian-Iranian relations and their positions on the Middle East should remain unchanged during Ahmadinejad’s second four-year tenure. “Iran and Syria should pursue their… policies in the region,” he said, according to IRNA.

On the same day, Assad also met with Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei who reportedly welcomed a proposal by the Syrian president to form an alliance between the two countries, as well as neighbouring Iraq and Turkey.

“Such an alliance would benefit the region,” Khamenei was quoted by Iranian television as saying. Referring to Damascus’s “excellent standing” in the region, he also said: “Syria’s most important characteristic among Arab countries is its steadfastness and resistance,” the AFP news agency reported.

In July, Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Mu’allem said Syria could play the role of mediator between Iran and the West to help find a political solution to the nuclear dispute and other issues of contention.