Iran says holding talks to reopen Syria embassy
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Iran on Tuesday said it is holding diplomatic talks with Syria’s transitional government to reopen its embassy in Damascus after the fall of top ally Bashar al-Assad.
“Regarding the reopening of the embassies, our approach is diplomatic, as always, and we are ready, they are also ready, and we are holding diplomatic talks to reopen the embassies,” Iranian government spokesperson Fatemeh Mohajerani said in a presser.
Her remarks came a day after Iran’s foreign ministry said that they have had ‘no direct contact’ with the new Syrian government since the toppling of Assad.
On December 15, Davoud Bitaraf, an employee of the Iranian embassy in Damascus was targeted and killed. Tehran demanded an investigation from the transitional government of Syria to identify the perpetrators.
Mohajerani emphasized the importance of Syria’s territorial integrity and preventing the growth of terrorism for the safety of the region.
Iran was a key ally of Assad’s regime, which was removed from power by rebel forces led by the Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) on December 8.
Hossein Akbari, Iran’s ambassador to Syria, said that after the fall of Assad, they moved embassy staff to Beirut “for two to three days to ensure security and prevent any possible harm,” according to the state IRNA news agency.
Akbari said they hope to get back to work in Damascus as quickly as possible and the new Syrian authorities “have also announced their readiness and said that they will provide the necessary guarantees for the security of the embassy and other activities.”
Tehran’s embassy in Damascus has also been targeted during the Syrian conflict. Israeli strikes targeted the consular section in April, killing a top commander of Iran's elite Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-Quds Force (IRGC-QF).
“Regarding the reopening of the embassies, our approach is diplomatic, as always, and we are ready, they are also ready, and we are holding diplomatic talks to reopen the embassies,” Iranian government spokesperson Fatemeh Mohajerani said in a presser.
Her remarks came a day after Iran’s foreign ministry said that they have had ‘no direct contact’ with the new Syrian government since the toppling of Assad.
On December 15, Davoud Bitaraf, an employee of the Iranian embassy in Damascus was targeted and killed. Tehran demanded an investigation from the transitional government of Syria to identify the perpetrators.
Mohajerani emphasized the importance of Syria’s territorial integrity and preventing the growth of terrorism for the safety of the region.
Iran was a key ally of Assad’s regime, which was removed from power by rebel forces led by the Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) on December 8.
Hossein Akbari, Iran’s ambassador to Syria, said that after the fall of Assad, they moved embassy staff to Beirut “for two to three days to ensure security and prevent any possible harm,” according to the state IRNA news agency.
Akbari said they hope to get back to work in Damascus as quickly as possible and the new Syrian authorities “have also announced their readiness and said that they will provide the necessary guarantees for the security of the embassy and other activities.”
Tehran’s embassy in Damascus has also been targeted during the Syrian conflict. Israeli strikes targeted the consular section in April, killing a top commander of Iran's elite Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-Quds Force (IRGC-QF).