Iran, Russia coordinating anti-Daesh efforts: Leader aide

Iran and Russia are coordinating their stance on fighting the Daesh terrorist group in Syria, Ali-Akbar Velayati, a top advisor to Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, says.

“Russians seek coordination with Iran in measures against terrorist groups. The Russians at times had had a different standpoint but they reached a common stance with Iran after consultation” with the Islamic Republic, Velayati said in a live televised interview on Saturday.

He added that Iran is the main front of resistance against hegemonic powers in the region, saying Iraq, Syria and Lebanon are Iran’s regional allies in this campaign and Russia has recently joined this front.

The Leader’s aide noted that Major General Ghasem Soleimani, a commander of the Quds Force of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC), has held talks with Russian officials in Moscow to improve coordination between Iran and Russia in fighting terrorist groups.

Under the circumstances that Tehran and Moscow were reinforcing their unity in the battle against terrorists, Soleimani’s visit to Russia was quite a routine issue, he pointed out.

Velayati further warned that the growing threat of Takfiri groups would pose a danger to all countries and urged collective cooperation to root out terrorism.

He noted that Russia’s fight against Daesh terrorist group in Syria is carried out at the request of the Syrian government.

The Leader’s adviser said it is believed that some countries, maybe even global powers, will also join the resistance front in the near future.

Russia launched its air campaign against the Takfiris, including Daesh, in Syria on September 30, at the request of the Syrian government and after the upper house of the Russian parliament gave President Vladimir Putin the green light to use military force in Syria.

The foreign-backed militancy in Syria, which started in March 2011, has left over 250,000 people dead.

According to the United Nations, the violence has left more than 7.3 million people internally displaced and forced more than four million others to take refuge in neighboring countries such as Lebanon and Jordan.