Iran says US troop presence in Syria 'wrong' from start
Iran's Foreign Ministry says the U.S. military presence in Syria has damaged the region in the government's first comments on President Donald Trump's plan to pull U.S. troops from the war-torn country. Bahram Ghasemi, ministry spokesman, said on Saturday: "The presence of U.S. troops during Syria's civil war has damaged peace and security in the region. Basically, the deployment and presence of U.S. forces in the region was wrong, illogical and a tension-maker."
- Middle East
- AFP
- Published Date: 12:00 | 22 December 2018
- Modified Date: 04:19 | 22 December 2018
Iran said Saturday the US presence in Syria had been "wrong and illogical" from the start, in its first official reaction to President Donald Trump's decision to withdraw troops.
"The presence of American forces was from the very start, in principle, a wrong and illogical move and a primary cause of instability and insecurity in the region," said foreign ministry spokesman Bahram Ghasemi on his Telegram channel.
Trump vowed Thursday that the United States would no longer be the "policeman of the Middle East" as he ordered troops back from Syria.
Iran's Revolutionary Guards have a contingent of commanders and advisers deployed in Syria in support of the Assad regime, and have ferried weapons and thousands of militia fighters to the frontlines from various countries.
The United States currently has around 2,000 forces deployed in Syria in two areas along the Iraqi border that was partly aimed at keeping Iranian forces in check.