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- Iran warns US against seizure of oil tanker
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- Iran planning 3rd step to reduce nuclear commitments: Spokesman
- Leader grants clemency to over 1,000 Iranian inmates
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- Iran, Iraq agree to reopen Khosravi border crossing
- Iran deplores suicide attack at Kabul wedding hall
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- Zarif meets with Iran-Kuwait Friendship Group members
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- US faces humiliating defeat after Gibraltar releases Iranian tanker: Envoy
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- Zarif reacts to release of Iranian tanker in Gibraltar
- Israel, UAE engaged in secret talks on Iran arranged by US: Report
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- Enemies must factor Iran's global power in their calculations: IRGC's chief commander
- Trump’s administration conflicting messages to Iran baffle go-betweens: Report
- Gibraltar releases Iran-operated tanker despite US pressure
TEHRAN, August 24 - Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov on Friday reiterated that his country respects Iran’s presence in Syria which he described as lawful in remarks that appear to have been made in response to US pressures to force the Islamic Republic out of the Arab country.
TEHRAN, Young Journalists Club (YJC) - Ryabkov said Iran has been in Syria at the official request of the Syrian government to help the country fight terrorism.
“We treat with great respect Iran’s steps to provide its own security and actions, including on Syria at the invitation of this country’s lawful government,” Ryabkov said.
The Russian diplomat made the remarks after a meeting between senior Russian and US delegations on the issue of the Middle East in Geneva, Switzerland. During the meeting between Russian Security Council Secretary Nikolai Patrushev and US National Security Advisor John Bolton, in which Ryabkov also attended, the two sides reportedly discussed the issue of Iran’s presence in Syria as part of a wider discussion on the situation in Syria.
Ryabkov said Russia and the US were still at odds regarding the situation in Syria. He said, however, that the two sides could continue to discuss issues like Iran’s presence in the absence of a direct diplomatic communication between Tehran and Washington.
He said Russia’s appreciation of Iran’s role in Syria was no impediment to discuss the issue in future.
“This does not mean that there are no prospects or space for further work in this sphere,” said the top diplomat.
Iran has been in Syria on an advisory military capacity since the conflict erupted in the country in 2011. Russia joined the battle late in 2015. The two countries intervened in Syria at the official request of the Syrian government.
Washington, which deployed troops in Syria in 2014 despite repeated criticisms by Damascus, has been critical of Iranian and Russian assistance despite the fact that the two countries have provided a massive help in the fight against terrorism in the country.
Russia has reiterated that it will be ready to discuss the withdrawal of foreign forces from Syria when the US starts pulling out its own forces.
Meanwhile, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Thursday that Washington was maintaining an "illegal" military presence in Syria.
Responding to a question from Iran’s official IRNA news agency regarding US pressure for Iran’s withdrawal from Syria, Zakharova said the US should first pull out its own forces if it wants to discuss the fate of foreign forces in Syria.
Also, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Wednesday that all foreign forces staying in Syria without the legal consent of the Syrian government should leave the country.
“All foreign forces staying there without an invitation from the Syrian government must be eventually withdrawn,” Lavrov said in a press conference.
Source: Presstv
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