Turkey’s Syria Offensive Must ‘End Now’, Says Iran

Key Damascus ally Iran on Tuesday renewed its call on Ankara to end a deadly assault on northeastern Syria, as Turkey pressed a cross-border … Continue reading Turkey’s Syria Offensive Must ‘End Now’, Says Iran

By Ignatius Igwe

Updated October 15, 2019

(FILES) In this file photo taken on February 13, 2019, Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif gestures during a press conference in Tehran. Zarif, who was the lead negotiator in the 2015 nuclear deal, announced his resignation on Instagram on February 25, 2019. “I apologise for my inability to continue serving and for all the shortcomings during my term in office,” Zarif said in message posted on his verified Instagram account. ATTA KENARE / AFP

Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif gestures during a press conference in Tehran.
ATTA KENARE / AFP

Key Damascus ally Iran on Tuesday renewed its call on Ankara to end a deadly assault on northeastern Syria, as Turkey pressed a cross-border offensive against Kurdish forces.

“The imperative now is to end the incursion into #Syria,” Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif wrote on Twitter.

Iran had on Thursday called for an immediate halt to the offensive, launched on October 9 after the United States announced it would withdraw all its troops from the area.

Since then, Syria’s massively outgunned Kurds have forged a deal with Damascus, allowing regime soldiers to redeploy in the Kurd-controlled region for the first time since 2012.

Despite international outcry over its assault, Turkey has vowed to pursue its offensive, slamming the “dirty deal” between President Bashar al-Assad’s regime and Kurdish forces.

AFP