Iran proud of supporting Syria: Ayatollah Khamenei

Ayatollah Khamenei made the remarks in a meeting with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in Tehran on Monday, according to PressTV.

The Leader mentioned resistance of Syrian president and people as the main reason behind the defeat of the United States and its regional mercenaries, noting, "The Islamic Republic of Iran considers supporting the Syrian government and people as helping the resistance movement and current, and takes pride in it from the bottom of its heart."

Ayatollah Khamenei emphasized that the triumph of the resistance front in Syria has made Americans angry and prompted them to hatch new plots, adding, “The issue of the buffer zone, which Americans seek to establish in Syria, is among those dangerous plots that must be categorically rejected and stood against.”

The Leader stated that Americans’ plan to maintain an effective presence along the Iraq-Syria border was another plot by the United States, saying, “Iran and Syria are each other’s strategic depth and the identity and power of the resistance front depends on this continued and strategic relationship. This will prevent enemies from making their plans operational.”

Referring to Iran's support for the Syrian nation and government since the beginning of the country’s crisis, Ayatollah Khamenei said, “Through resistance and cooperation of its people, Syria managed to stand fast against a big coalition consisting of America, Europe and their allies in the region and emerge triumphant from this crisis.”

The Leader also pointed to a miscalculation by enemies in the case of Syria, saying, “The enemies’ error was that they mistook Syria with some other Arab countries. While in those countries, people’s movement was in line with resistance and was, in fact, uprising against America and its stooges.”

Stressing that the Syrian government and nation needed to maintain their spirit of resistance and boost their power, Ayatollah Khamenei addressed Assad saying, “Through your steadfastness, you turned into the hero of the Arab world and the resistance in the region has gained more power and credit through you.”

Ayatollah Khamenei concluded by reiterating that the Islamic Republic of Iran will continue to stand by the Syrian nation “because considers this as helping the resistance front and movement.”

The Syrian president, for his part, lauded Iran’s unbridled support for his country, saying that the Syrian war was similar to the eight-year Iraqi imposed war against Iran during 1980-88.

Referring to some reports, which claimed that Syria was done for, Assad added, “Iran and Syria are two nations with identity and ideology and although current achievements were gained through much suffering, they are certainly a result of steadfastness of the resistance front.”

Highlighting the heavy damage done to some countries, which had submitted to the United States, the Syrian president said, “Many countries were in awe of America and believed that it was America, which determined the fate and future of the world. However, as a result of the resistance of resistant nations, this erroneous notion is falling apart.”