Iranian parliament speaker warns against repercussions of US-led war on Syria

Iranian Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani underlined that any military strike against Syria will have negative consequences for the Muslim country and other regional countries, but meantime expressed the hope that the current situation will improve in the near future. “Waging a war without the approval of the UN Security Council will be in breach of international law and set a wrong precedent for further violations,” Larijani said, speaking at a joint press conference with his Iraqi counterpart Osama al-Nujaifi in Tehran on Saturday. “Perhaps the situation brought about in recent days is a sign of rational decision making regarding regional issues,” the Iranian parliament speaker added. The Iraqi parliament speaker, for his part, also warned against any possible attack on Syria, saying a potential US military strike against the Arab country would affect the whole region. Nujaifi said he believes the crisis in Syria can be resolved only through elections, and urged all foreigners involved in the Syrian conflict to leave the country. The US, Israel and France have adopted the rhetoric of war against Syria over allegations that the Syrian government was behind a recent chemical attack near Damascus. The call for military strike intensified after the militants operating inside Syria and the foreign-backed Syrian opposition claimed on August 21 that hundreds had been killed in a government chemical attack on militant strongholds in the Damascus suburbs of Ain Tarma, Zamalka and Jobar. The Syrian government has strongly denied the claim, accusing the militants of the attack.