Syrian top diplomat in Iran for talks

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi welcomed his new Syrian counterpart Bassam al-Sabbagh in Tehran on Tuesday. Araghchi said that "the Islamic republic of Iran will always be on the side of Syria and the axis of resistance," a group of Iran-backed groups aligned against Israel, including Lebanon's Hezbollah and Palestinian militant group Hamas.

Sabbagh stressed "the importance of strengthening" ties between Iran and Syria "in the face of challenges and dangers". Sabbagh's visit comes less than a week after Ali Larijani, a senior adviser to Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, visited Syria and met with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.