Syria interested in buying Iranian arms

Syrian defense minister says they "must be prepared to face common enemy."

By JPOST.COM STAFF
iran syria defense298 88 (photo credit: AP [file])
iran syria defense298 88
(photo credit: AP [file])
Syria has expressed interest in purchasing weapons from Iran, including scud and anti-aircraft missiles, rocket launchers, Russian T-27 tanks, and even fighter planes. Meanwhile, Syrian Defense Minister Gen. Hassan Turkemani signed a mutual cooperation deal on Thursday with his Iranian counterpart General Mustafa Muhammad Najar. "The two countries' armed forces must be prepared to face the common enemy that has been working to undermine stability and cause regional tension," Turkemani said.
THE IRANIAN THREAT
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Among his visits in the Islamic Republic, he met with the Iranian chief of staff and President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, and toured a local aircraft factory. Syrian sources told the London-based Al Hayat that the understandings were of a strictly defensive nature. They indicated that both countries have been targeted recently [by Western powers]. After a meeting between the two senior officials, the Iranian Defense Ministry issued a statement saying that Teheran was interested in strengthening cooperation against "American and Israeli threats." It also noted that the two countries should struggle to bring peace and stability in the region and disarm it from weapons of mass destruction. For several months, Iran has been denying that it was developing nuclear weapons, claiming that its nuclear program was solely for peaceful purposes, however Najar said on Thursday that his country would "use nuclear defense as a potential" if "threatened by any power."