Russia Backs Iran’s Military Presence in Syria

Russian Ambassador to Iran Levan Dzhagaryan has told a Russian newspaper that Iran’s presence in Syria is legitimate as it is present in the Arab country at the request of its government.

The Russian ambassador made the remarks in an interview with Russian newspaper Kommersant, during which he also pointed to Russia’s attempts to bring under control a possible military confrontation between Iran and the Israeli regime in Syria.

Asked about Israeli regime's recent call on Russia to remove Iranian advisers from Syria, Dzhagaryan said that Moscow was “naturally concerned” about a possible military confrontation between the two sides, noting, “We do our best to prevent this. To prevent the escalation of the conflict.”

The Russian envoy further emphasized that pressure does not work on Iran, saying, “Iran is not a country that you can put pressure on. This is a big state, pursuing an independent foreign policy. Work with Iranians can only be a method of persuasion.”

Last week, Israeli regime's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held a private meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow.

The Israeli premier said Tel Aviv “won’t take action against” the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, urging Moscow to “get the Iranians out,” Reuters quoted Netanyahu as telling Putin in the meeting.

On the US withdrawal from Iran nuclear deal and its possible impact on Russia-Iran bilateral relations, the Russian ambassador to Tehran stated "our trade and bilateral economic relations are developing, we have a number of big joint projects despite the risk of US sanctions.”

In response to a question whether Russia will continue to buy Iranian oil after the US sanctions come into effect in October, Dzhagaryan said “we do not accept unilateral US sanctions. In our opinion, they are illegal. Iran has abided by its commitments to the JCPOA, and the IAEA has repeatedly confirmed this.”

At the end of the interview, he urged Iran to stay in the nuclear deal, adding that Russia will work with Chinese and European companies to secure Iran’s benefits in the JCPOA despite the fact that it will not be an easy job to do.