Iranian envoy to UNHCR calls for immediate peace negotiations in Syria

An Iranian Envoy to the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) reiterated Tehran's will to make the international community aware of the dire consequences of any form of military intervention in Syria, and stressed the need for bolstering all-out efforts to end the crisis in the Muslim country via diplomatic ways. "The only way out of this situation is the immediate negotiation end the conflict," Mohsen Naziri Asl said while addressing the Geneva-based council on Monday. "Military action risks igniting a regional war," the Iranian ambassador pointed out. The call for military action against Syria intensified after foreign-backed opposition forces accused the Syrian government of launching a chemical attack on militant strongholds in the suburbs of Damascus on August 21. Damascus has vehemently denied the accusations, saying the chemical attack was carried out by the militants themselves as a false flag operation. Syria has been gripped by deadly unrest since 2011. According to reports, the western powers and their regional allies -- especially Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey -- are supporting the militants operating inside Syria. According to the United Nations, more than 100,000 people have been killed and a total of 7.8 million of others displaced due to the violence.