Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Clarifies Tehran's Position on the Situation in Syria After Assad's Fall

Dubai, United Arab Emirates - The spokesperson for the Iranian Foreign Ministry, Ismail Baqaei, revealed on Monday Tehran's position on the developments in Syria, following the fall of the ousted president, Bashar al-Assad, emphasizing that his country "respects the choices and decisions of the Syrian people," according to the Iranian official news agency "IRNA." The Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson stated in a press conference, in response to a question about his country's stance on the developments in Syria, that "Iran's positions regarding Syria are clear, and since the beginning of the developments, it has been emphasized that Iran respects the choice of the Syrians, and anything decided by the Syrian people should be respected by all countries in the region," as reported by the Iranian agency.

Ismail Baqaei added that "maintaining the territorial integrity and unity of Syria is important for Iran and the entire region, and Syria should be able to determine its destiny and future without the destructive interference of regional or international parties, and should not become a place for the increase of terrorism and violent extremism," as he described. In response to a question about the validity of a report attributed to Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi "indicating that the (Islamic government) in Syria poses a threat to Iran," Ismail Baqaei clarified that "everyone, including our media friends, should be extremely cautious in taking news and reports that may be questionable in nature and accuracy, and in republishing them," according to what the agency "IRNA" reported.

The Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson confirmed "the inaccuracy of this news that was published," pointing out that "it is easy to verify, and one can refer to the original interviews of Minister Abbas Araghchi and the statements of other Iranian officials to verify and ensure that this news is indeed false, and aims to create discord among the countries of the region," as he stated.