Syria will not fall with Iranian alliance

A senior Iranian cleric has underscored Tehran’s support for Damascus, saying Syria will not fall as long as the Islamic Republic is allied with it. “As long as the Islamic Republic is standing by Syria, the government of this country will not collapse,” member of the presiding board of Iran’s Assembly of Experts Ayatollah Seyyed Ahmad Khatami said on Thursday. The senior Iranian cleric added, however, that Iran’s support for the Syrian regime does not denote the Islamic Republic’s approval of every measure taken by Damascus. “Iran seriously demands reforms in Syria, such that the recent elections and other reformist measures in Syria have all been [taken] under the Islamic Republic’s encouragement,” he added. Ayatollah Khatami said the reason why Iran supports Syria is that the West is taking revenge on the country for the Islamic Awakenings, the Islamic Revolution of Iran, and Lebanon’s resistance movement of Hezbollah. “Western imperialism is dispatching weaponry to the Syrian opposition, which is disgraceful, and of course the Islamic Republic will not allow their agendas to bear fruit,” he added. Syria has been the scene of unrest since mid-March 2011. Many people, including security forces, have been killed in the turmoil. The West and the Syrian opposition blame Damascus for the year-long turmoil, but the government says the “terrorists” are responsible for the unrest, which it says is being orchestrated from abroad.