Iranian President Ebrahim Raeisi says Syria has lauded Syrian government and nation for defeating the difficulties despite sanctions and threats targeting the country.

“The Syrian government and nation have moved past major difficulties and problems. Today we can say that you … were able to win [the war] despite the threats and sanctions that were imposed against you,” Raeisi said at a meeting with his Syrian counterpart Bashar al-Assad in Damascus on Wednesday.

Syria has been a target of United States sanctions since 1979. The US and its Western allies imposed more such bans on Damascus after 2011, when the country found itself in the grip of rampant foreign-backed militancy and terrorism.

The sanctions intensified even further with Washington’s passing of the Caesar Act in 2019, which targeted any individual and business that participated either directly or indirectly in Syria’s reconstruction efforts.

President Raeisi also hailed Iran-Syria relations as “rich, fruitful, and full of experiences,” adding that the ties remained stable even in difficult periods amid severe political and security turbulence in the Middle East.

He further said that regional and trans-regional changes have failed to affect brotherly relations between Tehran and Damascus.

“The Iran-Syria ties are tied to the blood of our beloved martyrs, especially General Qassem Soleimani, and this is a key to the stability and strength of the relations between the two countries,” Raeisi noted.

“Today, the legitimacy of the position of Iran and Syria … has been fully proven. Those who had doubts about Iran's political position are convinced that it was the right and fair stance.”

Raeisi also stressed that the Islamic Republic will stand by its Syrian brothers in the post-war era of reconstruction and development as it was the case during the fight against terrorism.

Iranian President made the remarks in a visit at the invitation of his Syrian counterpart. This is the first trip by an Iranian president since the outbreak of war in the Arab country.