Iran Has Not Yet Established A Direct Relations With The New Ruler Of Syria After The Fall Of President Assad

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei. (Source: IRNA)

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei said in a weekly press statement on Monday that Tehran had not had direct contact with the ruling group in Syria following the fall of President Bashar al-Assad's Administration in early December.

Baghaei said Iran had been in contact with opposition Syrian groups for a long time before the fall of the Assad government.

Iran, he continued, had notified the groups that its presence in the country was to prevent the progress of the Islamic State group and the spread of terrorism to regional countries.

The diplomat said there were efforts by certain actors to damage relations between various countries, reported by IRNA on December 24.

Syrian insurgent groups have launched attacks on a number of areas of the country since November, with the peak of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham's success in controlling Damascus on December 8, ending President Assad's Administration and five decades of his family's rule.

Mohammad al-Bashir was appointed interim prime minister of the country for the next three months, overseeing the transition to a new government until March 1, 2025, quoted by CNN.

In response to the question of whether the Syrian ruling group had sent a message via Turkey to Iran, Baghaei said Iran used multilateral meetings to discuss various issues, adding that the Syrian issue had become an agenda for talks between Iran and Turkey.

Iran's position is to safeguard Syria's sovereignty and integrity and help the Syrian people determine their fate without foreign interference, he said, adding it was important for Syria not to be a safe haven for terrorists.

He underlined that all parties involved in Syria tell their own stories; meanwhile, Iran believes all regional countries should be careful not to normalize the psychological war of the Israeli regime which it says is meant to create tensions in the region.

Regarding the presence of several opposition groups in Syria and the possible return of insecurity, Baghaei said the matter had always been Iran's main concern over the past 13 years.

Baghaei hopes that the Syrian transition process will take place well and the country can prevent the spread of insecurity to other parts of the region.