ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Syria's new foreign minister on Tuesday called on Tehran to respect the will of the Syrian people and warned them against “spreading chaos”, following remarks made by the Iranian foreign minister about the country's political future.
“Iran must respect the will of the Syrian people and the country’s sovereignty and safety,” Asaad Hassan al-Shaibani, the new Syrian transitional government’s foreign minister said on X.
“We warn them against spreading chaos in Syria and we also hold them responsible for the repercussions of the recent statements,” he added.
Iran was a key ally of Bashar al-Assad’s regime, which was removed from power by rebel forces led by the Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) on December 8.
Shaibani’s comments come hours after the Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told state television that it was “early to judge” on developments in Syria.
“There are many factors in Syria that will affect the future of this country. There will be many developments in the future. It is too early to judge, both for us and for others,” Araghchi told state TV (IRIB).
On Tuesday Iranian government spokesperson Fatemeh Mohajerani said that it was holding diplomatic talks with the transitional government in Damascus to reopen its embassy. The remarks came a day after the foreign ministry said that they have had ‘no direct contact’ with the new Syrian government since the toppling of Assad.
Before the collapse of the regime, Tehran was the key regional ally of Assad and had major influence over the country.
On Sunday, Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei claimed that Tehran does not have proxy forces in the region after the loss of Assad.
Barbara Leaf, US assistant secretary of state for Near Eastern affairs, said on Friday that “Iran will have no role” in Syria after meeting the new Syrian authorities in Damascus.
