Iranian Foreign Ministry Presses for Tehran's Key Role in Syrian Settlement

Tehran's participation is vital for diplomatic solution of the conflict in Syria that could be settled only via political means, the Iranian Foreign Ministry said on Monday.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Iran is one of the allies of the Syrian government in the military conflict with numerous opposition factions and extremist groups ripping the country apart since March 2011. Tehran denies direct military involvement in the conflict claiming that only Iranian military advisers were supporting the Syrian government.

"No agreement will be made on Syria without Iran's partnership," the ministry's spokesman Bahram Qassemi said, as quoted by Fars news agency, adding that negotiations and democratic elections were essential to settle the crisis.

On September 9, US Secretary of State John Kerry and Lavrov brokered a ceasefire in Syria that took effect three days later. The agreement called for unimpeded delivery of humanitarian aid and stipulated that only designated terror groups would be targeted in military strikes.

On Monday, the Syrian army declared the end of ceasefire regime blaming militants for numerous violations that made the cessation of hostilities unreasonable.