Iran to take measures to protect forces, interests in Syria

Amir Saeid Iravani made the remark in a Monday letter to the UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and the head of the Security Council, stressing that Iran's presence in Syria is totally legal and at the request of Damascus.

His remarks came after two Iranian military advisers stationed in Syria were killed in an Israeli airstrike near the country’s capital Damascus last Friday. Following the attack, Iran's Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) issued a stern warning to the Israeli regime on Sunday, vowing retaliation for the killing of its military advisers in Syria.

Iravani’s letter also came after the US ambassador to the UN wrote a letter addressed to the president of the Security Council in an attempt to legitimize his country's ongoing violation of international law in Syria by accusing Iran of supporting the so-called non-State militia groups.

“The Islamic Republic of Iran reserves its inherent right to self-defense under international law and will take decisive measures to protect its forces, interests, and facilities from any threat or unlawful act perpetrated by the United States or others,” Iravani said.

He also strongly condemned “the unlawful military strikes by the US forces against civilian infrastructure in Syria … which resulted in the tragic loss of innocent civilian lives and severe damage to Syria's infrastructure.”

“The United States must bear its responsibility for committing such a heinous crime that has violated Syrian national sovereignty and territorial integrity, the UN Charter as well as the basic rules of international humanitarian law,” Iran's UN envoy said.

The Iranian diplomat went on to say that Syria has explicitly and repeatedly stated that the presence of US forces on its soil is illegal and constitutes a violation of Syrian national sovereignty and territorial integrity.

On the other hand, he said, “Iran's presence in Syria is fully legal and based on a formal request and consent from the Syrian government to provide assistance and support [to Damascus] in the fight against terrorism.” He emphasized that Iran is totally committed to “Syria's national sovereignty, territorial integrity, unity, and political independence.”

"The United States must acknowledge that the continued plunder of Syrian resources, the ongoing occupation of Syrian territory, and its support for separatists are the main causes of the confrontation of the Syrian people against the United States military forces and it cannot place the responsibility for its blunders and crimes on others," Iran's UN ambassador said.