The future of President Bashar al-Assad can only be determined by the Syrian people, an Iranian official told reporters Saturday, adding that his fate is a “red line” for Tehran.
“The Syrian people must decide their own fate, and nobody outside Syria’s borders can choose for the Syrian people,” senior advisor to Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Akbar Velayati said in an interview with Iranian TV Channel 3.
The top Iranian aide added that Iran will not abandon Assad on the battlefield or in the political arena, affirming Iran’s presence in the ongoing negotiations on a political settlement in Syria.
Velayati also highlighted that Assad and Hezbollah Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah were informed about the issues discussed between Moscow and Tehran following a visit by Russian President Vladimir Putin to the Iranian capital.
This article was edited by The Syrian Observer. Responsibility for the information and views set out in this article lies entirely with the author.
