Assad congratulates new Iranian leader, calls for closer ties

Syrian President Bashar Assad on Sunday congratulated Hasan Rowhani on his victory in Friday’s Iranian presidential election, calling on his new counterpart to upgrade ties between the already close countries.

Iran has been among Assad’s most steadfast supporters during Syria’s two-year civil war, sending Damascus arms, money and fighters.

Assad said first on the agenda for the two leaders would be “confronting the plots of hegemony and aggression against the national sovereignty in our region in a way that reflects positively on the peoples of both friendly countries,” according to a report carried by Syria’s state-run SANA news agency.

He also called for upgrading the cooperation between the two countries in a number of fields, according to the report.

On Saturday, Syrian rebels fighting to oust Assad urged Rowhani to reconsider supporting Assad. The Syrian National Council said Tehran’s support for Syria was a mistake and that it should shift who it backs “before it is too late.”

While Rowhani is considered to be relatively moderate compared to his predecessor, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, many watchers say that Rowhani will have his hands tied by the ruling clerical regime in Tehran, which will keep a tight handle on Iran’s foreign affairs.

On Sunday, Britain’s Independent newspaper reported that Tehran would be sending 4,000 troops to Syria to bolster Assad’s forces, which are already augmented by fighters from the Lebanon-based terror group Hezbollah, which is backed by Iran.

Joshua Davidovich contributed to this report.