TEHRAN – Tehran Friday prayer leader Ayatollah Mohammad-Ali Movahedi Kermani says Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s recent visit to Iran sent a clear message to the Israeli regime and the U.S. that the Islamic republic would stay in Syria.

Addressing worshippers in Tehran on Friday, Movahedi Kermani said some Arab countries in the region had offered Assad $200 billion and promised to guarantee his presidency in return for severance of ties with Iran, Tasnim reported.

However, the Syrian president did not succumb to the threats and temptations, so this was welcomed by Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei, he added.

MH/PA