Iran’s Shamkhani Deplores US Measures to Perpetuate Terrorism in Region

“Unfortunately, instead of fighting terrorist elements, Western countries and the US continue to take suspicious measures in line with perpetuating terrorism and insecurity in the region,” Shamkhani said in a Sunday meeting with Syrian Prime Minister Imad Khamis in Tehran.

He added that such moves and their harmful effects will help spread terrorism across the globe.

The US and its allies have been bombarding what they call Daesh (ISIL or ISIS) positions inside Syria since September 2014 without any authorization from the Damascus government or a UN mandate.

If the US ends its financial and arms support for terrorist groups in the region, peace and security will be soon restored to Syria and consequently European countries, the senior Iranian official stressed.

Shamkhani further highlighted the importance of Syria-Syria talks, describing it as the best solution to end the ongoing crisis in the Arab country and reach a national consensus.

Khamis, for his part, briefed the Iranian official on the latest developments in Syria and stressed that the Syrian government will continue to pursue political means to resolve the conflict in the war-torn country. 

He further thanked Iran for standing by his country and said security can be re-established in Syria only if certain countries change their stance toward terrorist groups.

Syria has been gripped by civil war since March 2011 with various terrorist groups, including Daesh, currently controlling parts of it.

According to a report by the Syrian Center for Policy Research, the conflict has claimed the lives of over 470,000 people, injured 1.9 million others, and displaced nearly half of the country’s pre-war population of about 23 million within or beyond its borders.