Iran to Maintain Advisory Presence in Syria, Support Resistance: Shamkhani

Iran’s top security official says the country will maintain its advisory role in Syria and continue support for resistance groups after the US demanded that Tehran put a halt to those activities.

“As long as the threat of terrorism exists in Syria and the country’s legitimate government persists in Iran’s advisory presence, we will stay in Syria,” Secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council Ali Shamkhani said on Saturday, according to Press TV.

Shamkhani in a TV interview stressed that Iran’s presence in Syria is solely aimed at fighting terrorism at the invitation of the country’s “legitimate government.”

 Shamkhani also dismissed other US demands, including its call that Iran halt all uranium enrichment, stop its ballistic-missile program and give nuclear inspectors access to the entire country.

“Iran’s missile program is completely indigenous and defensive. We will not seek permission from anyone to develop our defense power and will not hold negotiations on it,” he said.

“There is no logical reason to negotiate with a country that does not abide by its commitments. By leaving the JCPOA, the US practically tore up the international agreement,” Shamkhani said, referring to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action.

Shamkhani criticized the Europeans, saying they should have “acted more firmly and decisively in condemning and stopping preliminary US measures in violating the JCPOA.”

“The Europeans kept silent in the lead-up to America’s withdrawal from the JCPOA and this relayed somehow a message of following the United States.”

Shamkhani said Trump’s withdrawal has brought the nuclear deal to collapse and in order to revive it, the Europeans have to guarantee implementing all the obligations they have toward Iran under the JCPOA.

No retreat from ‘principled policies’ on Palestine

Shamkhani also stressed that Iran will not abandon its “principled policies” on Palestine as well as Tehran’s support for resistance against the Israeli occupation and aggression.

“We consider defending Palestine as defending the Islamic dignity,” he said.

H.M