Tehran, Moscow Discuss Syria

Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister for Arab and African Affairs Hossein Jaberi Ansari met his Russian counterpart, Mikhail Bogdanov, in Tehran on Monday as part of regular consultations between the two allies on the latest developments in the Syria war, IRNA reported. Iran and Russia are principal allies of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in his six-year-old fight against armed militant groups supported by Persian Gulf Arab states, Turkey and western powers. Russia began its direct intervention in the conflict in September 2015 by launching an air campaign while Iran's involvement has been confined to providing military advice to pro-Assad troops. Russia and the United States, which represent Assad's backers and opponents in international Syria peace talks respectively, have failed so far to agree on a common strategy to end the conflict in the war-ravaged country that has killed hundreds of thousands of people and driven millions of Syrians from their homes.