Iran FM warns against ‘destructive interference’ in Syria’s future

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi speaks during a news conference with his Iraqi counterpart in Baghdad, Iraq, December 6, 2024. (Hadi Mizban/AP)
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi speaks during a news conference with his Iraqi counterpart in Baghdad, Iraq, December 6, 2024. (Hadi Mizban/AP)

Iran’s top diplomat warns against “destructive interference” in Syria’s future and says decisions should lie solely with the country’s people, writing in Chinese state media as he visits Beijing.

Abbas Araghchi touched down in the Chinese capital, Iranian state media reported, to begin his first official visit to the country since being appointed foreign minister.

China and Iran were both supporters of ousted Syrian president Bashar al-Assad and Tehran was a major player in propping up Assad amid the civil war.

Assad fled Syria this month after an Islamist-led offensive wrested city after city from his control, with the capital Damascus falling on December 8.

Iran “considers the decision-making about the future of Syria to be the sole responsibility of the people… without destructive interference or foreign imposition,” Araghchi writes in a Chinese-language article in People’s Daily published today.

He also emphasizes Iran’s respect for Syria’s “unity, national sovereignty and territorial integrity.”

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