Iranian FM: Syrian army ‘surprisingly’ incapable of thwarting militant attack

Araghchi made the remarks on Sunday following the fall of the Syrian government after militant groups led by Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) stormed the capital Damascus.

Araghchi said that during his recent meeting, he found President Bashar al-Assad surprised and complaining about the state of his army.

The Iranian foreign minister said that the main responsibility to protect the country was of the Syrian army, and Iran did not consider itself a duty in this regard.

“The Syrian government did not expect this from us either, because this issue was related to the internal matters of Syria, the government's relationship with the opposition groups and the people of the country,” Araghchi said.

“I remember that one of our serious recommendations to the Syrian government has always been to have dialogue and interaction with opposition groups and try to resolve issues peacefully without harming the people,” the top Iranian diplomat stated.

“The formation of the Astana process has largely been in this direction. As you know, Iran, Russia and Turkey created an 'Astana' negotiation process,” he added.

“The purpose of this process was to provide a basis for these three countries, which are somehow involved in the internal developments of Syria, to help reforms and achieve political solutions,” he said.

“The last meeting of this process was held yesterday, which was the continuation of the same path and goals,” Araghchi said on Sunday.

The top diplomat said Syria has been one of the important members of the axis of the resistance and played a significant role in confronting Israel and supporting Palestinians.
Araghchi noted that Iran is closely monitoring the developments and its approach will depend on the policy militant groups in the Arab country adopt toward the Islamic Republic.

On Sunday, militants seized control of the capital Damascus. President Assad resigned and issued instructions for a peaceful transition of power.