IRGC commander reiterates Iran’s support for Syria

Commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) Major General Mohammad Ali Jafari underlined that Iran will continue its material and spiritual support for the Syrian nation and government. Major General Jafari pointed to the failure of the western countries in conducting a military intervention in Syria, and said, “They know well that the Islamic Republic provides material, spiritual and intellectual support for Syria.” Iranian officials have reiterated on various occassions that Tehran helps Syria in different ways, while it does not help the country militarily. Iranian officials have repeatedly underlined that Tehran is in favor of negotiations between the Syrian government and opposition groups to create stability in the Middle Eastern country. Earlier this year, Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei warned of the dire consequences of any military intervention in Syria for the region, and said the US will certainly be severely harmed by pursuing warmongering policies against the Muslim country. "The US threats and possible intervention in Syria is a disaster for the region and if such an act is done, certainly, the Americans will sustain damage like when they interfered in Iraq and Afghanistan," Ayatollah Khamenei said in a meeting with members of the new Iranian cabinet in Tehran in August. He cautioned the US and its allies that their military intervention in Syria would yield no result but blazing fire and increasing  nations' hatred from them. Ayatollah Khamenei warned the US and its allies that "starting this fire will be like a spark in a large store of gunpowder, with unclear and unspecified outcomes and consequences". Last November, Iran hosted a meeting between the representatives of the Syrian government and opposition to encourage them to start talks to find a political solution to their problems. The National Dialogue Conference kicked off work in Tehran mid November with the motto of 'No to Violence, Yes to Democracy". The meeting brought together almost 200 representatives of various Syrian ethnicities, political groups, minorities, the opposition, and state officials. Syria has been experiencing unrest since March 2011 with organized attacks by well-armed gangs against the Syrian police, border guards, statesmen, army and civilians being reported across the country. Thousands of people have been killed since terrorist and armed groups turned protest rallies into armed clashes. The government blames outlaws, saboteurs, and armed terrorist groups for the deaths, stressing that the unrest is being orchestrated from abroad.