Iran, Russia call for continued anti-terror fight in Syria at UN Security Council

At the UN Security Council, Iran and Russia have underlined the need to purge Takfiri terrorists from their last major stronghold in Syria amid strong objections by sponsors of militant groups fighting against the Syrian government.

During a meeting on Tuesday, Iran’s Ambassador to the UN Gholamali Khoshroo defended the counter-terrorism fight in Syria’s Idlib Province, saying it its part of the procedure to restore security to the war-torn state.

Iran, Russia and Turkey, the three guarantor states of the Syria peace process, believe that civilians should be taken into account in the Idlib liberation operation, he added.

Khoshroo also described dialog as the only way to resolve the Syria crisis, saying that last week’s summit in Tehran affirmed the Syrian people’s right to determine their own fate.

He further warned against attempts by certain states to stage a false-flag chemical attack in Syria and then accuse the government of President Bashar al-Assad of using chemical weapons against its own people.

The latest “fake” news on the possible use of chemicals by the Syrian government is nothing more than a scenario to justify another Western military aggression against the country, the Iranian envoy noted.

Touching on Iran’s military advisory mission in Syria, Khoshroo said that the Islamic Republic is fighting terrorism at the request of the Damascus government.

On the contrary, he said, the US military presence in Syria is illegal and violates the UN Charter.

The Security Council met at Russia’s request to brief the 15-member body on the outcome of the Tehran summit, which was attended by the Iranian, Russian and Turkish presidents.

In turn, Russia’s UN Envoy Vasily Nebenzya told the UNSC that foreign-backed Idlib terrorists should not be shielded and allowed to hold civilians hostage.

“Terrorists must not be allowed to hold hostages indefinitely and use hundreds of thousands of civilians in Idlib as a human shield,” he said, adding that “it is impossible to exist side by side with terrorists.”