TEHRAN - A senior Iranian military commander said on Thursday that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad will stay in power and the Syrians’ victory will bring disgrace to warmongering countries.

Major General Hassan Firouzabadi, head of Iran’s armed forces, said that the U.S. is making efforts to “manage developments” in the Middle East region and seek to benefit from the war in Syria in the presidential election.

He also said that it has been five years since the Syrian people have been resisting against terrorism.

Strengthening ISIL and spreading blood shedding in Syria have not made the Syrians to give in, the senior military officer added.

Syria has been gripped by foreign-backed militancy since March 2011.

The UN Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura estimates that over 400,000 people have been killed in the conflict, which has also displaced over half of the Arab country’s pre-war population of about 23 million, according to Press TV.

NA/PA