Syrian Coalition: Iran is an Occupying Force, not a Guarantor Party; PMF’s Entry Into Albu Kamal is Occupation

Press release

Syrian Coalition

Media Department

November 9, 2017

The Syrian Coalition condemns the latest remarks made by Ali Akbar Velayati, a top adviser to Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and the threats he issued against the Syrian people. These remarks and explicit threats blatantly contravene Iran’s so-called role in the ‘de-escalation zones’ agreement and violate the agreement itself and are no less heinous than the litany of crimes being committed by the Iranian militias against civilians in Syria on a daily basis.

Velayati’s provocative remarks have once again exposed the real role Iran is playing in Syria. Instead of carrying out is so-called role as a guarantor of the ‘de-escalation zones agreement,’ Iran is behaving just like an occupying force pursuing a policy of murder, displacement, ethnic and sectarian cleansing. Iran is also seeking to spread extremism and terror with the sole aim of serving its plans for changing the demographic landscape in Syria.

There is no denying the fact that Iran plays a pivotal role in disrupting all efforts to put an end to the bloodshed in Syria and cannot be a guarantor of any agreement.

The Coalition stressed that the entry of the militias of the Iraqi Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) into the town of Albu Kamal and any other part of the Syrian territory is a blatant violation of Syrian sovereignty, especially as the PMF militias are part of the military establishment of the Iraqi government and have previously committed war crimes in Syria.

The Assad regime is primarily responsible for the current situation in Syria and for exposing the country to various forms of foreign hegemony, occupation, and violation of sovereignty. The Coalition renews calls on the international community to shoulder its responsibilities to stop the ongoing crimes against civilians in Syria.