Iranian officials are skeptical about U.S. intentions in Syria, casting doubt on both the motives behind U.S. air strikes against ISIS and the effectiveness of this strategy. Senior Iranian political and military leaders instead claim that strengthening Syrian President Bashar al Assad’s government is the key to defeating ISIS. Iran has been a stalwart ally of Syria since the uprising began in spring 2011, unwavering in its political and military support of Assad’s government. The following are excerpted remarks by Iranian leaders on the Syria crisis and U.S. military intervention against ISIS.
Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei
On the pretext of fighting #terrorism, US seeks to make excuses to bomb #Iraq & #Syria as they did in #Pakistan. 9/15/14
— Khamenei.ir (@khamenei_ir) October 8, 2014
“This takfiri orientation - the thing that has emerged in Iraq, Syria and some other regional countries today and that confronts all Muslims, not just Shias - is the handicraft of colonialists themselves. They made something called al-Qaida and DAESH in order to confront the Islamic Republic and the movement of the Islamic Awakening. However, this product has become a burden for themselves.”
President Hassan Rouhani
Rouhani referred to Danish Foreign Minister Martin Lidegaard's remarks that certain western states are ready to fight terrorist groups in Iraq and Syria, and said, “We are happy that the West has realized the clear truth on which Iran has always insisted. We hope that it would be serious on it.”
Sept. 8,2014, according to Iranian Student News Agency
“First, stability must return to Syria, and that will not be possible without help from the central government, even though certain criticisms might be directed at it.”
“We must uproot terrorism so that security could return to Syria and the conditions for the return of Syrian refugees from neighboring countries such as Turkey, Iraq, Jordan and Lebanon would be provided.”
Sept. 23, 2014, according to Mehr News
Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif
“You cannot fight ISIS and the government in Damascus together.”
Sept. 19, 2014, according to Kayhan
Supreme National Security Council Chief Ali Shamkhani
“The principled stance of the Islamic Republic of Iran regarding full support for the friendly and brotherly country, Syria, which is on the frontline of the fight against terrorism, will continue with seriousness.” “The formation of the so-called (U.S.-led) coalition against ISIL and the (concomitant) media hype by the West and its regional allies, which are in stark contrast with their previous measures in supporting the formation of terrorist groups, is an undeniable evidence of the accuracy of the principled policies of the Iranian and Syrian governments regarding incessant fight against Takfiri terrorists over the past three years.”
Oct. 1, 2014, according to Iranian Student News Agency
"In spite of the Syrian government's readiness to hold political dialogue with different Syrian groups, irresponsible behavior of certain Western and regional countries as well as arming the opponents and provoking them to kill people has been the main obstacle to the establishment of calm in Syria."
Revolutionary Guards Corps Commander Maj. Gen. Mohammad Ali Jafari
“The Islamic Republic of Iran’s policy is to support Syria and this U.S. action is from a bullying position and is condemned and if it does so, it will regret it.” “The U.S. is disappointed with any influential role to be played by the ISIL and similar groups and it is calling for this so-called coalition. We doubt if their serious objective is to annihilate the ISIL.”
Sept. 16, 2014, according to Iranian Student News Agency
“Iran’s reaction to the Syrian issue has only a political dimension, and we do not intervene directly or military-wise. We will, however, continue our support of the Syrian government and condemn the U.S. attempts at mobilizing the rebel groups.”
Sept. 16, 2014, according to Mehr News
Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Marziyeh Afkham
“The U.S. move in invading Syria that was made outside the internationally-recognized barriers was breaching the national legitimacy of that country and the international rules and regulations and will beyond doubt have numerous negative aftermaths in the international scene.” “The responsibility of the new U.S. move, including getting killed and wounded of innocent (Syrian) citizens is on the shoulders of those who have paved the path for entering of weapons and terrorists into Syria and some other countries in the region and with their financial and military support for the extremist groups expand the dimensions of the Syrian and regional crises.”
Sept. 23, according to Islamic Republic News Agency
“The (U.S.) operation is in line with previous interventionist measures in the region which made regional issues more complicated.”
Sept. 24, 2014, according to Iranian Student News Agency
“Kobani is part of Syria's sovereignty and territorial integrity and if the Syrian government makes a demand, we will be ready to provide any assistance it wants.”
Oct. 10, 2014, according to Fars News
Deputy Foreign Minister for Arab and African Affairs Hossein Amir-Abdollahian
“The Islamic Republic of Iran believes that the best way to battle ISIL and terrorism in the region is to help Iraqi and Syrian states, which are fighting terrorism in practice.”
Sept. 15, 2014, according to Iranian Student News Agency
“They can carry out serious terrorist operations anywhere in the world. The U.S. has now realized this and called for cooperation with Iran...But we have doubts about their intention to fight terrorism.”
Sept. 22, 2014, according to Kayhan
“Although it was the U.S. that decided to intervene militarily in Syria and violate its sovereignty with the help of certain regional states, it is not the U.S. that decides to put an end to this.”
Sept. 25, 2014, according to Islamic Republic News Agency
“The illegal and manic attacks of the U.S. on Syria will bring nothing but more extremism in the region.”
Sept. 30, 2014, according to Iranian Student News Agency
“The Islamic Republic of Iran will take any necessary action to help the Kurds in Kobani in line with its support for the Syrian government in its fight against terrorism.”
Oct. 10, 2014, according to Fars News
“Iran will not allow terrorists to overthrow Bashar al Assad.”
Oct. 10, 2014, according to Tasnim News
“We do not mean to say that (President) Bashar al Assad should be the lifetime president of Syria, but we will not permit the anti-ISIS terrorists’ coalition to topple that country’s government, or to harm the resistance axis.”
“We have properly conveyed this message to Washington that if there is going to be a regime change scenario in Syria from the campaign against terrorism then the Zionist regime, too, will be deprived of security.”
“We have differences of opinion with some of our friends in the region, including Turkey, on such issues as Syria; Turkey says Bashar Assad should go. We tell them that either the staying or the going of Bashar Assad is none or our, your, nor U.S. business, as decision making in that respect should be left up to the Syrian nation.”
Oct. 10, 2014, according to Islamic Republic News Agency
“Iran sees serious contradictions in the US and its allies’ intentions in regard to the Syrian issue and fighting terrorism, as well as ISIL in the region, and it seems they do not intend to learn from their repeated mistakes in the past.”
“Resolving the Syrian crisis is only possible through assuming a real and serious fighting stance against terrorism, sending international humanitarian aid, making endeavors to help misplaced citizens settle back into their country, and respecting the people’s decisions and the territorial integrity of Syria.”
Nov. 2, 2014 according to the press
“If there weren’t the strong resistance of the Syrian government under leadership of President Bashar al Assad and the support of the Syrian people to the campaign against the Takfiri terrorists, the world would have witnessed dominance of terrorists on Damascus.”
Nov. 6, 2014 according to the press
Deputy Chief of Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces Brigadier General Massoud Jazayeri
“The U.S. and its allies are manipulating the fight against the ISIL as a tool to topple the legal government of Bashar al Assad in Syria.”
Oct. 17, 2014, according to Fars News
"Using the largest current of state terrorism in the past three years, the U.S. has attempted to take this chain of regional resistance off the track, but the resistance of the Syrian government and nation prevented the U.S. and its partners from achieving this evil goal."
Oct. 18, 2014, according to PressTV
United States
Special Presidential Envoy for the Global Coalition to Counter ISIS, General John Allen
"No, we haven’t invited Iran into the coalition but we have welcomed Iran’s constructive role in Iraq and, of course, Iran is very attentive in terms of what we are doing and saying in terms of Syria as well. So it is important, once again, to be very clear that we seek a political outcome where there will be many voices that contribute to that political outcome [in Syria]. That political outcome will not include Assad and I don’t want to get into the details of interim governments and all of those measures that are on the table. However we recognize that Iran is a key influence in Iraq, in Syria and in the region. As we continue to move forward we are going to continue to listen very carefully to the things they [Iran] have to say and we will see where that goes."
Oct. 25, 2014 according to the press
Syria
Bashar al Assad
“Syrian nation welcomes readiness of Iran and other friendly countries for rebuilding Syria.”
Sept. 6, 2014, according to Iranian Student News Agency
“Syria appreciates Iran which has stood by Syria in the face of challenges targeting all regional states’ interests.”
Sept. 3, 2014, according to Islamic Republic News Agency
Syrian Minister of Foreign Affairs Walid al Moualem
“Let us together stop [ISIS] ideology and its exporters, let us, simultaneously, exert pressure on the countries that joined the coalition led by the United States to stop their support of armed terrorist groups…Only then combating terrorism militarily becomes viable.”
Oct. 1, 2014, according to Al-Bawaba News
Hezbollah
Shiite militia and political movement in Lebanon
Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah
“We are against American military intervention and an international coalition in Syria, whether that [action] is against the regime or IS.”
“U.S. military intervention, whether under the guise of an international coalition or under the cover of NATO or under the guise of multinational forces: we have a principled position based on basic rules and norms.”
“America is, in our view, the mother of terrorism and the origin of terrorism.”
Sept. 23, 2014, according to Reuters
Photo credit: Bashar al Assad by Fabio Rodrigues Pozzebom / ABr [CC-BY-3.0-br (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/br/deed.en)], via Wikimedia Commons