Iran: Relations with Syria will not be affected by peace talks with Israel

Iranian Minister of Culture and Islamic Guidance Ata Allah Muhajirani, currently visiting Jordan, has asserted that Syrian-Iranian relations of "strategic nature" will not be affected by the Syrian-Israeli peace negotiations which are expected to be resumed very soon.

In a symposium held on Sunday night in Amman organized by the Jordanian society for the international affairs, the Iranian minister said, "Iran views Syria's negotiations with Israel as an internal matter," and that Iran's relations with Syria will not be changed as a result.

The Iranian minister noted that, "Syria seeks negotiations with Israel in order to face the Israeli baseless grounds," adding that Israel "has always tried to distort Syria's image in the world" and that Syria is now seeking to unveil the real nature of Israel, which actually does not want peace.

The Iranian minister noted that relations between Tehran and Ankara are witnessing "ups and downs, changing according to the internal situations in Turkey."

On the recent riots in Iran, the Iranian minister accused suspicious movements outside Tehran University of violating the norms and bringing about the confrontation.