Syria ‘welcomes’ Iran nuclear deal

State TV praises framework agreement, says accord will ease geopolitical tensions

By ToI Staff 3 April 2015, 8:48 pm

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Syrian President Bashar Assad gives an interview to Foreign Affairs magazine in Damascus, January 26, 2015. (AFP)

Syria praised Friday the framework nuclear agreement reached between Iran and world powers, saying the deal was the product of the Islamic republic’s wish to reduce tensions with the international community.

“Syria welcomes the statement issued on the discussions,” state television quoted a foreign ministry source as saying, according to Reuters.

“[Syria] considers that this framework agreement will be followed by positive steps and will be another contribution by Iran … to ease tensions in the region and the world,” the report said, insisting on Tehran’s “right to use nuclear energy for peaceful purposes.”

Iran and the global powers sealed the breakthrough agreement outlining limits on Iran’s nuclear program designed to prevent the country from developing atomic weapons. The West has long suspected Iran is pursuing a nuclear weapons program. Iran denies the charge, saying its nuclear research is focused on peaceful purposes like power generation and cancer treatment.

The framework agreement, which calls for the Islamic republic to lower the number of centrifuges capable of enriching uranium from 20,000 to 5,000, the reconstruction of a planned reactor, regular monitoring by UN inspectors, and the neutralization of the majority of its enriched stockpiles in exchanged for a phased draw down of economic sanctions, was agreed to in principle on Thursday, with the expectation of signing a final agreement in June.

Syria is currently embroiled in a violent civil war that has claimed the lives of over 220,000 people and displaced millions of the country’s inhabitants. The Alawite Assad regime depends heavily on the support of Iran and its Shiite proxy Hezbollah to battle a contingency of moderate rebels and Sunni extremist groups vying for power in the devastated country.

Although the United States previously called for Syrian President Bashar Assad to step down, recent reports suggest Washington has a vested interest in seeing the autocrat maintain his rule as a force against jihdaist groups operating within the country.

The United States is currently leading an international military campaign against the Islamic State and other terrorist groups in Iraq and Syria.

AFP and Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.