EU’s Mogherini arrives in Tehran for Syria talks
Visit of Europe's diplomatic chief comes as Syrian rebels launch major assault aimed at breaking months-long siege of Aleppo
The European Union’s diplomatic chief Federica Mogherini arrived in Iran for talks on the Syrian conflict, a statement by the semi-official ISNA news agency said on Friday.
Mogherini will visit Tehran on Saturday and from there will travel to Saudi Arabia on Monday for “senior level talks” continuing the EU’s “outreach to key actors in the region on the Syrian crisis,” according to the statement.
The diplomatic push comes with no end in sight to a conflict that has aligned regional powers on opposite sides, with Iran backing President Bashar Assad and Saudi Arabia a key supporter of the rebels fighting to oust him.
Syrian rebels launched a major assault Friday aimed at breaking a months-long siege of opposition-held districts of Aleppo, as regime ally Russia held off on renewed airstrikes.
More than 300,000 people have been killed and millions forced to flee their homes since Syria’s conflict erupted in March 2011 with protests calling for Assad’s ouster.