Tehran, February 27: Syrian defense minister says Western countries are not happy with the development of relations between Iran and Syria.
“Western and colonialist countries are unhappy with the good, strong, and developing relations between Iran and Syria,” said Lt. General Ali Mohammad Habib Mahmoud on Sunday,
The Syrian minister made the remark in a meeting with Iran’s Navy Commander Rear Admiral Habibollah Sayyari, who is on a six-day official visit to Syria at the head of a delegation of naval authorities.
During the meeting, Habib Mahmoud praised Iran’s scientific, nuclear, technological, and military progress, saying the achievements in these areas are among the reasons of the West’s enmity with the Islamic Republic.
He also noted that the presence of Iranian warships in Syria is a demonstration of Iran’s authority and the failure of its enemies.
Two Iranian ships, Khark and Alvand, docked at Syria’s Lattakia Port following their passage through the Suez Canal, a strategic international shipping route in Egypt, for the first time since the victory of the Islamic Revolution in Iran in 1979.
The 1,500-ton patrol frigate Alvand is armed with torpedoes and anti-ship missiles, while the larger 33,000-ton supply vessel Khark has 250 crewmembers and can carry three helicopters.
Tehran has announced that the two Iranian warships in Lattakia are “on a routine and friendly visit and carry the message of peace and friendship to world countries.”
On Friday, Sayyari signed a navy cooperation deal with his Syrian counterpart General Taleb al-Barri aboard Iranian vessel Khark.
Syrian navy officials toured the two Iranian ships on the same day.
—-Agencies