Iran ambassador comments on U.S. relations

Iran's ambassador in Damascus, Hassan Akhtari, described Syrian - Iranian relations as excellent and increasingly developed in all fields, he told al-Hayat daily.

He asserted his country's rejection of any closeness with the U.S., noting, "The U.S. administration still defames Iran and the Iranian people refuse to maintain closer relations with it unless it changes its anti-Iranian stances," and that the U.S. supports the organized terrorism practiced by Israel.