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Politics

Russia, Iran warn US against new Syria attacks

Kate Brady with Reuters, AFP
April 14, 2017

A week since the US launched airstrikes in Syria, Iranian, Syrian and Russian foreign ministers have met in Moscow. All three countries strongly warned the United States against launching new strikes.

https://p.dw.com/p/2bECB
Russland Treffen von Lavrov, Javad Zarif  und Muallem in Moskau
Image: Reuters/S. Karpukhin

Hosting three-way talks with Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Moualem (pictured above, left), and Iranian counterpart Mohammed Dschawad Sarif (pictured above, right) in Moscow on Friday, Russian Foreign Minsiter Sergey Lavrov denounced last week's US attack on Syria and warned that any further such action would entail "grave consequences not only for regional but global security."

Read: US skips out on Afghanistan conference in Moscow

Lavrov also told al-Moualem that Russia and the US have a shared understanding that such strikes would not be repeated.

The Interfax news agency reported that the Russian diplomat revealed this had been "concluded" during Wednesday's visit of US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson to Moscow.

US 'did not rule out any future action'

In Washington, however, the US State Department said Tillerson did not eliminate the possibility of the US maybe undertaking future strikes.

"The secretary explained there were no subsequent targets after the missile strike, but he did not rule out any future action," State Department acting spokesman Mark Toner said in a statement.

"He stressed that Russia is in a position to use its influence over the Assad regime to ensure it is never again necessary for the US to act," Toner said.

US blames Assad regime

The US launched Tomahawk missiles at Syria's Shayrat air base near Homs last Friday, in response toa chemical attack in the northwestern Idlibprovince.

Washington has blamed Assad's government for the deadly attack which killed more than 80 people. Damascus, however, has staunchly denied the accusation.

The Syria crisis is also set to be the focus of further talks planned for Saturday between Lavrov and Qatari Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al-Thani.