The Iranian delegation included the ministers of foreign affairs, defence, oil, roads and urban development as well as telecommunications. Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi is also being accompanied by a number of private sector businessmen from Iran, according to
Al Jazeera’s correspondent.
"Syria’s government and people have gone through great hardship," Raisi told Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, according to Syrian state media. “Today, we can now say that you have overcome all these problems and were victorious, despite the threats and sanctions imposed against you,” he added.
According to Al Jazeera, Raisi’s deputy for political affairs, Mohammad Jamshidi, told the state-run news agency IRNA prior to departure that the visit is a sign of “the Islamic Republic of Iran’s
strategic victory in the region”.
