Military move against Syria, playing with fire: Iran envoy

“Any military measure against Syria is [like] playing with fire,” Mohammad-Reza Raouf Sheibani said in a meeting with UN peace-keeping chief Herve Ladsous on Wednesday.

    “The military trend will further complicate and prolong the crisis in Syria and will bear negative and grave consequences for the region, in particular, for the instigators of the crisis,” he added.

He also reiterated Iran's support of the peace plan by UN and Arab League envoy to Syria Kofi Annan.

The UN official, for his part, highlighted Iran's stance and influence in the Middle East and praised Tehran’s support of the Annan plan.

Syria has been experiencing unrest since mid-March 2011.

Iran says negotiation between the Syrian government and opposition groups constitutes the best solution to the country’s ongoing crisis.

The Islamic Republic has also reiterated its readiness to facilitate talks between the two sides.

The West and the Syrian opposition accuse the government of killing protesters, but Damascus blames ‘outlaws, saboteurs, and armed terrorist groups’ for the unrest, asserting that it is being orchestrated from abroad.