TEHRAN - Ali Akbar Velayati, a top foreign policy adviser to the Leader of the Islamic Revolution, said on Sunday that Iran is standing beside Syria.

In a press conference after a meeting with a member of China’s Foreign Policy Advisory Committee, Velayati said, “The resistance front will be strengthened in future and Iran will continue supporting states member to this front more powerful than ever.”

He said that the U.S.-led attacks on Syria were in line with Washington’s policy to help terrorists.

“We condemn the U.S. actions in Syria. The Syrian government and people can defend their territorial integrity stronger than ever and this is the Islamic Republic of Iran’s position,” he said.

The U.S., UK and France fired about 100 missiles at Syria in the early hours of Saturday morning. The attack took place one week after a suspected chemical weapons attack in the Syrian town of Douma near Damascus. The attackers claimed the Syrian government was responsible for the attack. However, the government rejected the claim.

Velayati said that that the claim of chemical weapons use in Syria is a “lie”.

“The U.S. and its allies carried out attacks before the result of investigations into use of chemical weapons was announced, because they knew that the results would prove their claims wrong,” Velayati notes.

“The U.S. and its allies carried out attacks before the result of investigations into use of chemical weapons was announced, because they knew that the results would prove their claims wrong,” he added.

On Saturday, Ayatollah Khamenei strongly denounced the airstrikes as a “crime”, saying the leaders of the three countries are “criminals”.

Also in a phone conversation with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on Saturday, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said that Tehran will stand beside the Syrian government and people.

“This aggression was not just against the Syrian territory but against the stability of the entire region,” he noted.