News - Middle East: Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi says protecting political borders and the national sovereignty of regional countries is Tehran’s red line and topmost concern.

Araghchi made the remarks in an article published in Lebanon’s Al-Nahar newspaper on Tuesday.

He stressed that Iran's presence in Syria was at the official request of the country’s government and was aimed at combating the Daesh terrorist group.

Araghchi said, that unlike Iran, the US presence in Syria lacks any legal basis and has led to the occupation of large swathes of the country.

He also reaffirmed Iran's commitment to supporting all Muslim and Arab forces that make up the resistance front against the Israeli regime.

He emphasized that resistance against occupation and expansionism is not merely an ideological matter, but is the most important tool to protect the security and stability of the entire West Asia region.

On Monday, the spokesman for the Iranian Foreign Ministry Esmaeil Baqaei said that the deployment of Iranian military advisers to Syria was fundamental and anchored in certain principles, while their departure was also a responsible move.

“We were neither seeking to conquer Syria nor to revive past empires. What was important in Syria was to help ensure public safety and security against terrorism,” he said.

Militants, led by the Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), stormed and ransacked the Iranian embassy in Damascus following the fall of President Bashar al-Assad’s government on December 8.

 Source: Press TV