Iran, Syria in talks to reopen diplomatic missions amid growing tensions

Iranian authorities are in talks with Syria to discuss the potential reopening of the Iranian embassy in Damascus and the Syrian embassy in Tehran.

The discussions aim to restore diplomatic ties between the two countries, Caliber.Az reports via Iranian media.

"We are conducting diplomatic consultations to reopen the embassies of both nations," Iranian government spokeswoman Fatemeh Mohajerani stated.

She emphasised the importance of preventing the growth and development of terrorism in Syria to ensure not only the safety of Syria but also its neighbouring countries.

Mohajerani further reaffirmed Iran's stance on Syria's sovereignty, stressing the necessity of forming a Syrian government based on the will of people and protecting the country's territorial integrity. 

The situation escalated after armed groups, which had seized control of Syria, stormed the Iranian embassy in Damascus on December 8, looting and vandalizing the premises.

Iran's embassy in Damascus was severely vandalized after Islamist-led rebels claimed the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime, Iran's key ally, following a major offensive that culminated in the capture of the Syrian capital. 

The embassy compound, located in the upscale Mazzeh district — home to other diplomatic missions and UN offices — was left in a state of disarray, with offices ransacked and glass shards scattered across the floor. Broken furniture was strewn about, and looted items were seen being loaded onto trucks outside the building. Inside, filing cabinets and drawers were left open, with papers, documents, and personal belongings scattered across the premises. Among the debris were Iranian and Syrian flags, as well as a safe left abandoned in one room. 

The floors were littered with torn posters, including images of Iran's founding leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini and current Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Also found among the wreckage were destroyed photographs of key figures, including Hassan Nasrallah, the late leader of Lebanon's Hezbollah, killed in an Israeli airstrike in September, and Qasem Soleimani, the Iranian Revolutionary Guard commander assassinated in a US drone strike in Baghdad in January 2020.

By Naila Huseynova