After Netanyahu’s Moscow visit Iran insists Moscow ties ‘strong’

Iran’s foreign ministry insisted Monday that Tehran’s ties with Moscow are “strong” and shrugged off reported Israeli-Russian coordination on a withdrawal of foreign forces from Syria, reported i24news and AFP.

“Iran’s ties with Moscow are strong and we are always in touch and consult with each other,” ministry spokesman Bahram Ghasemi told reporters in Tehran, appearing to disregard the meeting between Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Russian President Putin.

Last week Netanyahu visited Moscow and met with Putin, where he stressed that the Jewish state would “not allow the military entrenchment of Iran in Syria”.

“President Putin and I also agreed on a common goal: the withdrawal of foreign forces that arrived in Syria after the outbreak of the civil war. We agreed to establish a joint team to advance this goal, together with other elements,” Netanyahu told members of his cabinet following his successful meeting with the Russian premier, reported i24news and AFP.

The Israeli premier is facing a slew of corruption charges and has been trying to turn the focus on his diplomatic skills. “It is no small thing that we have such strong, good and close links with leaders of the major powers in the world,” Netanyahu is reported to have said. “These links serve the security of Israel.”

Whilst Israel has admitted to carrying out hundreds of airstrikes in Syria in recent years against Iranian and Hezbollah targets, it has managed to maintain a cautiously balanced “de-confliction” hotline with Russia, aimed at avoiding accidental clashes, like the downing of the Russian aircraft by Syrian fire in September last year, in an accidental ‘cross-fire’. All the 15 persons on board were killed and Russia  had threatened to sever cooperation with Israel.

Russia, which like Iran has sided with the government in the Syrian conflict, is yet to officially react to Netanyahu’s statement.

According to 124 news, for Ghassemi such comments provide just another example of what he refers to as Israeli “psychological” warfare.

Israeli officials “have a habit they cannot quit, and that is lying. (They are) creating a psychological atmosphere to affect Iran’s relations with its neighbors and Russia,” he said, engaging in ongoing tit-for-tat verbal insults exchanged by the two bitter foes.

Thousands of pro-Iranian forces have been deployed to Syria over the course of the devastating civil war which broke out in 2011. They include members of the Revolutionary Guard, Iran’s ideological army.

Tehran repeatedly denies sending regular troops to fight in Syria, saying the Guards are serving as “military advisors” and that the brigades sent are made up of “volunteers” from Iran, Afghanistan and Pakistan.

“As long as the  government of Syria wants us there, we will be there,” Ghasemi said.