TEHRAN – It seems that Iran, Russia and Syria are becoming more determined to fight terrorist groups in Syria.

This was the main theme of the tripartite meeting held in Tehran on Thursday where defense ministers of Iran, Russia, and Syrian exchanged ideas on the latest developments in Syria and the region in general.

The meeting was arranged on the initiative of the Iranian side.

“We made decisions for what must be done on the regional and operational levels in an agreed-upon and coordinated manner,” said Iranian Defense Minister Hossein Dehqan.

There has been close cooperation among the three countries in the Syrian battlefield, where the Russian airpower has played a vital role in fighting terrorist groups, helping the Syrian army to gain ground against them.

Dehqan noted that "The terrorists and their supporters must know that the group fighting against them is determined to continue this route until the end and will do so.”

Also, the Iranian defense minister strongly reprimanded Washington and Riyadh’s support for what they call “moderate rebels” as further proof of the falsehood of their anti-terror slogans.

 

Unlike Iran and Russia, the U.S. and its regional allied have been training and supporting specific terrorist groups which they prioritize over other fighting forces in Syria. How the groups are different from other terrorist groups is ambiguous yet.

 

The Iranian defense chief went on to say that the three countries were determined to deliver a “decisive” battle against “all terrorist groups” wreaking havoc in Syria and elsewhere in the region.

On the root causes of the regional crises, Dehqan said “The aggressive policy based on hegemony, which is being pursued by the United States, Israel and some other countries, which patronize terrorism, stands behind the current regional crises.”

“Iran has always been and remains a reliable anchor of regional security that has always been opposed to violence, aggression, terror and terrorism,” Dehqan added.

 

 

----------Tehran backs ceasefire in Syria if it does not strengthen terrorists

 

During the trilateral talks, Dehqan reiterated Iran’s support for talks between the Syrian government and opposition groups.

Tehran welcomes any cessation of hostilities in Syria provided that it doesn’t allow for a reinforcement of terrorists in the war-torn country, he pointed out.

“We agree to a guaranteed ceasefire that doesn’t lead to the strengthening of terrorists in this country,” Dehqan noted. “The first step toward restoring security to the region is comprehensive ceasefire.”

 

---------Syrian defense minister: No success in anti-terror campaign without Iran 

 

Also, during the meeting, Syrian Defense Minister Fahd Jassem al-Freij said Syria is bent on striking terrorism everywhere on its land “with valor and determination”, backed by friends and allies.

 

“For over five years Syria has been confronting Takfiri terrorism led by the U.S. which exerted immense efforts to fight Syria, making it imperative for us to confront terrorism,” he explained.

 

He offered gratitude to Iran and Russia as “friends” for their supports, voicing confidence in Syria’s victory over terrorism which will mark an end to terrorism in the entire region.

 

Al-Freij described the results of an earlier meeting he held with his Russian counterpart Sergey Shoygu as “excellent”, adding that a recent array of measures is expected to yield even better results.

In a separate meeting with the Iranian defense minister, al-Freij said without the support of Iran, it would have been impossible for Syria to achieve great successes against terrorist groups.

 

It is not clear exactly what the major themes of the meeting were, but most likely one possible agenda have been coordinating offensives and plans now that the Syrian army is nearing Raqqa.

The Syrian army continued to gain ground from Raqqa after seizing the Taqba dam on the Euphrates River only 25 miles (40km) from Raqqa this weekend. The surge represents the first time that Syrian forces have entered Raqqa province since 2014, when Daesh first began its terror campaign, according to Sputnik. 

 

The Syrian army’s assault on the Daesh stronghold has been supplemented by unrelenting Russian airstrikes in the eastern areas of Hama province, bordering Raqqa. The aligned forces are currently situated in the town of al Tabqah, recently cleared of Daesh and which served in 2014 as a launch pad for Daesh attacks, given its proximity to Raqqa.

 

Raqqa is Daesh’s de facto capital, and the province has been a major base of operations for the group.

The war has been boiling in Syria since March 2011, vast territories of which are now under the control of terrorists who have poured into the country from many countries.

The war has killed at least 260,000 people, according to the UN, and more than half of Syria’s pre-war population of 22.4 million has been internally displaced or fled abroad, according to Tasnim.

On the other hand, Iran has been more active on the ground, providing the Syrian army with advisory helps.

 

AK/PA