Defiant Iran to stay put in Syria

Moscow, July 13: Iran has no intention of leaving Syria regardless of US and Israeli pressure, a senior envoy to Iran’s leader said on Friday, reaffirming a tough stance on the issue expected to top the agenda of the upcoming USRussian summit.

The statement from Ali Akbar Velayati, a senior adviser to Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, came in the wake of his meeting in Moscow with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

A day earlier, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told Putin that Israel wants Iran to leave Syria.

The high- level talks precede Monday’s summit in Helsinki between Putin and US President Donald Trump, who are set to discuss the Iranian presence in Syria. Both the US and Israel want Iran to pull out of Syria, while Russia has warned it would be unrealistic to expect Iran to fully withdraw from the country.

A possible deal could see Syrian troops replacing Iranian forces and its proxy Hezbollah militia in the areas near the Israeli- occupied Golan Heights. Velayati reaffirmed Iran’s firm intention to maintain its presence in Syria, but skirted a question about a possible pullback from the border, saying only that Tehran won’t bow to US and Israeli coercion.

“We coordinate the Iranian presence in Syria with Russia and Syria,” Velayati said during a meeting at Moscow’s Valdai Club discussion platform. “We will be present there the way we consider necessary. Sometimes we will play our role in Syria openhanded, sometimes we will do it with our hands hidden.”

While Velayati maintained a combative tone, his careful response reflected the intense diplomatic maneuvering ahead of the Helsinki summit. THE STATEMENT By a senior adviser to Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei came in the wake of his meeting in Moscow with Russian President Vladimir Putin.