TEHRAN- Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian has arrived in the Syrian capital of Damascus to hold talks with the Syrian high-ranking officials.

The Iranian foreign minister, leading a political-parliamentary team, landed in Damascus on Monday, the second stop of his regional visit that began in Muscat, the capital of Oman.

His tour to Syria kicked off as he finished his visit to Oman. 

The senior Iranian official talked on bilateral relations and the most recent events in the region when he was in Damascus, especially the Israeli attack against the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip.

On the second leg of his regional trip, Amir Abdollahian met with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad as well as his Syrian counterpart Faisal Mekdad to talk about regional and bilateral issues.

In a meeting with Bashar al-Assad, Amir Abdollahian expressed gratitude for the warm reception of the Iranian delegation by the Syrian side and conveyed the greetings of Iran’s president to his Syrian counterpart.  

He thanked him for his phone call to President Ebrahim Raisi and the presence of the Syrian foreign minister and other high-ranking officials at the Iranian Embassy following the recent outrageous attack by the Zionist regime. 

He highlighted various political, legal, and international actions taken by the Islamic Republic of Iran at the United Nations, the Security Council, and directly towards the U.S. as the main supporter of the Zionist regime’s crimes, emphasizing that Iran’s response to the regime is definitive.

Iran’s top diplomat also mentioned the deteriorating situation in Gaza and the recent meetings of the leaders of Hamas and Islamic Jihad movements in Iran. 

He stressed the severe internal divisions and unprecedented rifts within the Zionist regime, contrasting them with the readiness of the resistance to confront the regime’s aggressions. 

He emphasized the urgent need for global attention and action to address the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and the West Bank.

The Iranian foreign minister also underscored the importance of enhancing economic cooperation between Iran and Syria, urging the implementation of past agreements, especially those reached during President Raisi’s visit to Damascus. 

He emphasized the need to create suitable conditions for the success of President Assad’s upcoming visit to Tehran.

During the meeting, Assad, for his part, extended condolences for the Iranian military advisors and emphasized the shared position of Iran and Syria in the face of common challenges. 

He praised the role of General Zahedi in combating terrorism and serving the people of Syria and Lebanon, emphasizing the need to strengthen the axis of resistance.

Assad regarded the intensified Israeli attacks against Syria as a sign of the regime’s madness and severe disarray, noting that these crimes would not help compensate for the regime’s failures. 

Regarding the situation in Palestine, he condemned the Zionist regime’s unprecedented hostility towards the Palestinian people and their supporters worldwide, emphasizing the necessity of humanitarian, Islamic, Arab, and international support for the Palestinian cause.

The discussions during the meeting also covered various bilateral, regional, and international topics of mutual interest between the two countries.

In another meeting with his Syrian counterpart in the capital Damascus on Monday, Amir Abdollahian reiterated Tehran’s stance to deal a crushing response to the Israeli regime over its ruthless onslaught on the Gaza Strip as well as its illegitimate attack on the Iranian consulate in Damascus. 

The Iranian foreign minister hailed his Syrian counterpart’s presence in the office of the Iranian ambassador to Damascus immediately after the terrorist attack.

“The security of Syria is the security of the region, and these violations and crimes will not benefit the survival of Netanyahu and his regime,” he added. 

He went on to note that the strike proved Israel's disregard to any international regulations and humanitarian law. 

“We regard Syria’s security as our own security,” the top Iranian diplomat added.

Amir Abdollahian also underscored that Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu is on the losing streak.

Abdollahian, referring to the souls of all Syrian and Iranian martyrs, stressed that such incidents strengthen the will and cohesion between Iran and Syria for stability and security in the region and to deter the Zionists from perpetrating crimes in the region. 

Iran’s foreign minister also detailed the diplomatic, legal, and international efforts of Iran in response to the crimes of the Zionist regime in Damascus. 

He highlighted the responsibility of the United States as the full supporter of the Zionist regime through appropriate diplomatic channels. 

He also informed all countries of the world about the crossing of all red lines by the Zionist regime and the violation of international laws, treaties, and rights. 

Amir Abdollahian also emphasized that the punishment of the aggressive and criminal Israeli regime is certain.

Mekdad, for his part, also extended his deepest condolences to Amir Abdollahian and his accompanying delegation. 

He conveyed the sincere condolences of the Syrian government and people to the Leader of the Islamic Revolution, Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei, the honorable president, the government and people of Iran, and the families of the victims of the terrorist attack by the Zionist regime on the Iranian consulate in Damascus.

He emphasized that Iran and the Syria do not recognize the Zionist regime and have known from the beginning that this criminal regime does not adhere to any international standards and principles.

He added that since the illegal formation of the Zionist regime, the Syrians have been fighting against the fake regime, and since the victory of the Islamic Revolution, Iran has not recognized the existence of the regime. 

The recent action of the regime targeting the Iranian embassy is the biggest evidence of Iran and Syria’s position against the Zionist regime.

The Syrian foreign minister stressed that this terrorist crime by Israel, which has all the characteristics of a war crime and violates all international laws, once again mixed the blood of Syrians and Iranians.

He appreciated the efforts of Iran in pursuing such a crime and mobilizing the international community to condemn it. 

He added that the military aggression of the Zionist regime against the Iranian embassy and Syrian infrastructure is not separate from the events and crimes of Israel in Gaza and the massacre of Palestinian civilians.

Additionally, Mekdad criticized the positions of Western countries regarding the terrorist act and noted that after all these events, we see hypocritical Westerners claiming to uphold the rule of law globally, but they themselves do not respect any of the international human rights standards.

He emphasized that surely the Israeli crime will not go unanswered.

The visit takes place a few days after Israel launched a terrorist attack on the Iranian Embassy’s consular section in the Mezzeh area of Damascus.

Among the seven Iranians who martyred in the terrorist attack on April 1 were Brigadier General Mohammad Reza Zahedi, a senior commander of the Quds Force of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC), and his deputy, General Mohammad Hadi Haji Rahimi.

During his stay in Damascus, Amir Abdollahian inaugurated a building that will serve as the new consular section of the Iranian embassy after the original building was demolished in an Israeli airstrike.

Amir Abdollahian visited Oman on Sunday as the first destination of his regional tour at the head of a political and parliamentary delegation. 

The top Iranian diplomat has traveled to various regional countries multiple times since the beginning of Israel’s latest war in Gaza. 

He has been asking Muslim nations to halt their relations with Israel to compel the regime to cease its relentless attacks on Palestinians. Since Amir Abdollahian first made that plea 6 months ago, over 33,000 civilians have lost their lives in besieged Gaza.

Following his arrival in Muscat, Amir Abdollahian sat down with a senior representative of the Yemeni National Salvation Government, Mohammad Abdul-Salam 

Speaking at a press conference with his Omani counterpart, Amir Abdollahian warned that Israel’s attack on Iran’s embassy in Damascus was an attempt to drag the entire region into a full-blown war. 

In a post on his official X account, the Iranian foreign minister said the sides exchanged views about the improvement of Tehran-Muscat ties and Oman’s key role in the sanctions removal talks.

“We also discussed the latest developments in the region, including the continuation of the Zionists’ combined war crimes against the Palestinians and the need to take deterrent decisions,” he wrote.