Iran calls for Syrian gov’t to retake all territory
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani stated on Wednesday, that the Syrian government should extend its sovereignty over the entire country, stressing Tehran’s continued support for Damascus.
“Iran will continue to support the people and the legitimate government in Syria more than before,” he said during a tripartite summit with his Russian and Turkish counterparts, Vladimir Putin and Recep Tayyip Erdogan, on Wednesday.
Rouhani said: “The war on terrorism will continue until the terrorist groups are completely eliminated from Syria and the region, and while talking about fighting terrorism, Syrian sovereignty must be respected.”
He continued: “The American terrorist forces should leave Syria and the entire region as soon as possible, and the Syrian government should establish its control throughout the country.”
Rouhani stressed that: “The only solution to the Syrian crisis is a political solution, not a military one,” adding: “We emphasize the Syrian-to-Syrian dialogue within the framework of the agreements signed in the Astana track without any foreign interference.”
On the recently announced U.S. sanctions on Damascus under the “Caesar Act” , Rouhani commented: “Unless the United States achieves it through military pressure and assistance to terrorist groups, it cannot achieve it through economic pressure,” describing those sanctions as unilateral.