Iran’s Rouhani congratulates Assad on Aleppo ‘victory’

Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani phones his Syrian counterpart Bashar Assad to congratulate him on the impending defeat of rebel forces in the battleground city of Aleppo, his website says.

“The victory in Aleppo… constitutes a great victory for the Syrian people against terrorists and those who support them,” Rouhani tells Assad.

Iran has not committed its regular army to the Syrian conflict, but its paramilitary Revolutionary Guards have played a crucial coordinating role. Thousands of Iranian volunteers — many of them motivated by a desire to protect Shiite shrines in Syria — are thought to have fought on the frontline.

With just a small pocket of rebel resistance left in Aleppo, Tehran officials say the offensive has underlined Iran’s growing regional clout.

“The coalition between Iran, Russia, Syria and Hezbollah led to the liberation of Aleppo and will next liberate Mosul (in Iraq),” says Yahya Safavi, top adviser to Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Safavi says a clear message is being sent to Trump, who has vowed to take a tougher line with Iran.

— AFP