“If I am to judge by today, Iran will have no role whatsoever, and it shouldn't. Frankly, Iran said, decades now, of the most predatory and destructive behavior and presence in Syria and during the war,” Leaf said during an online press briefing.
Iran was a staunch supporter of Assad’s regime, which was ousted by a coalition of rebel groups spearheaded by the Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) on December 8.
Leaf led a US delegation to Damascus, meeting with the HTS leader Ahmed al-Sharra, better known as Abu Mohammed al-Jolani.
Turkey has been the main supporter of a coalition of militia groups who call themselves the Syrian National Army (SNA) and control swathes of territory in the north and northwest.
Leaf said, unlike Iran, Turkey has a key role in the new Syria.
“Turkey obviously has a very sizable role, has sizable influence. It has historically, and it's a neighboring state, and it has national security interests and all sorts of other interests,” she said, adding that Washington wants to see a Syrian government that can “stand on its own two feet.”
Turkey and SNA have launched numerous attacks against the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in northern Syria in recent weeks, so far taking control of the strategic towns of Tal Rifaat and Manbij. The SDF says Ankara and its Syrian allies are making preparations for an extensive military operation against them in Kobane city - the symbol of Kurdish resistance against the Islamic State (ISIS).
Clashes have also taken place at the crucial Tishreen Dam near Manbij city. The manager of the dam has repeatedly warned through Rudaw English that the fighting has severely damaged the structure and operation of the dam.
The US said it brokered a four-day truce between the SDF and Turkey and later extended it to the end of the week, but Ankara denies there is a truce. The Kurdish forces have accused the Turkish side of violating the ceasefire. SDF chief Mazloum Abdi has suggested the establishment of a demilitarized zone in Kobane.
Leaf said during the online event that they are “quite concerned about the effects of fighting near the Tishreen Dam and damage to that dam, especially if it was significant structural damage, the threat that it could cause to thousands of people in communities downstream.”
She added that they are “working energetically” with the Turkish authorities and the SDF in this regard, noting that “the best way ahead is for [a] ceasefire around Kobane.”
The US delegation also held discussions with Jolani about the future of Syria, with Leaf saying their trip to Damascus was “short” but was also a “really important opportunity to engage with Syrians and hear from them directly during this watershed moment in Syria's history.”
They told Jolani that they will no longer pursue a $10 million reward on his head.
