Iranian defense minister in Damascus
Iranian defense minister arrives in Syria for talks
Defense Minister Amir Hatami visits Damascus for meetings with senior defense and military officials; 'We hope to have a productive role in the reconstruction of Syria,' he says upon arrival.
Iranian Defense Minister Amir Hatami arrived in Syria on Sunday for meetings with "senior defense and military officials," according to the Tasnim news agency.
"We hope to have a productive role in the reconstruction of Syria," Hatami said on arrival in Syria, according to Fars News.
Iranian forces have backed Syrian President Bashar Assad in the country's civil war.
Iranian defense minister in Damascus
US National Security Adviser John Bolton said last week that Iran should remove its forces from Syria.
Senior Iranian officials have said their military presence in Syria is at the invitation of the Assad government and they have no immediate plans to withdraw.
More than 1,000 Iranians, including senior members of the elite Revolutionary Guards, have been killed in Syria since 2012.
The Guards initially kept quiet about their role in the Syria conflict. But in recent years, as casualties have mounted, they have been more outspoken about their engagement, framing it as an existential struggle against the Sunni Muslim fighters of Islamic State who see Shi'ites—the majority of Iran's population—as apostates.
