TEHRAN – Iranian Defense Minister Brigadier General Mohammad Reza Ashtiani held meetings with his Syrian counterpart Ali Mahmoud Abbas who visited Tehran on Saturday.

During a trip to Damascus, Ashtiani had told the Arab side that Iran was ready to equip the Syrian military forces with sophisticated weapons and open “strategic defense gear” factories.

Since 2011 and the spread of a Western-backed war in Syria, Iran has maintained advisory forces in the Arab country to help its fight against terrorism. The two countries have recently expressed willingness to expand cooperation in different military fields.