BICOM

Syrian President Bashar Assad visited Iran yesterday for the first time since the beginning of the civil war in 2011.

Assad met with Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and President Hassan Rouhani. According to Syrian state media, Assad expressed his gratitude to Iran for its involvement in Syria during the civil war. The leaders also: “Reviewed the fraternal and strong relations between their two peoples, which have been the main factor in maintaining Syria and Iran in the face of plots by enemy countries”.

Khamenei reportedly called Assad “the hero of the Arab world” and said his steadfastness made the “resistance more powerful and respected”. He added: “Iran considers helping the government and nation of Syria to be helping the resistance movement and is proud of it from the bottom of its heart. The creation of the buffer that the Americans are seeking to create in Syria is an example of these dangerous conspiracies which must be strongly denounced and resisted.”

Rouhani told Assad that: “Tehran will be alongside Damascus in the stabilisation, return of refugees and internal political process”.

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif unexpectedly resigned yesterday. He made the announcement on Instagram saying: “I apologise for my inability to continue serving and for all the shortcomings during my term in office.”

A Foreign Ministry spokesman, Abbas Mousavi, confirmed Zarif had resigned but gave no reason for his departure. On Sunday, Zarif criticised hardliners within the Iranian regime, saying: “We cannot hide behind imperialism’s plot and blame them for our own incapability. Independence does not mean isolation from the world.”

Zarif’s resignation leaves President Rouhani without one of his main allies who supported his strategy to negotiate with the West and sign the JCPOA nuclear deal in 2015.

In response, US Secretary of State Pompeo tweeted: “We note Zarif’s resignation. We’ll see if it sticks. Either way, he and President Rouhani are just front men for a corrupt religious mafia. We know Ayatollah Khamenei makes all final decisions. Our policy is unchanged — the regime must behave like a normal country and respect its people.”