Iranian FM Zarif Reveals What Could be US 'Priority' Goal in Syria

While the Iranian government is interested in settling the Syrian crisis, Washington is pursuing the opposite, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said in New York on Wednesday.

"Today it seems to me that priorities have changed and for the government of the US it is more important to prevent the Syrian government from taking over the border with Iraq than it is to defeat ISIS [Daesh]," Zarif said in an interview with the Asia Society, a non-profit based in New York.

The minister underscored that Tehran is interested in ending the conflict in Syria. At the same time, according to him, the settlement of the crisis is not the priority goal for Washington.

As for Iran's involvement in Syria, it is aimed not at supporting any of the groups, but at "fighting terrorism," Zarif stressed.

The Iranian government has repeatedly accused the US of supporting militant groups in Syria, including Daesh and al-Nusra Front. In April, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani accused Washington of helping terrorists after US missile strikes on a Syrian airbase, saying that "terrorists are celebrating" the attack.

In turn, the White House has criticized Iran’s policy. During his visit to Saudi Arabia in May, President Donald Trump accused the Iranian government of being a dictatorship and a sponsor of terrorism, saying that Tehran has "fueled the fires of sectarian conflict and terror" in the Middle East.