Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad: Nuclear Deal Is a Victory for Iran

In a public address on July 26, 2015, broadcast on the official Syrian TV, President Bashar Al-Assad said that Iran "has achieved a great victory" with the nuclear deal, due to its "steadfastness, determination, and strong will."

Following are excerpts:

Bashar Al-Assad: Their shortsightedness made the [Westerners] believe that they would be safe from the blazing sparks of terrorism, which fly from one place to another in our chaotic Arab world, burning down countries in their entirety in the already unstable Middle East. They did not take into consideration the possibility that terrorism would strike in the heart of Europe, particularly in its West. This does not mean, however, that they have learned their lesson. Their attitude towards this phenomenon is still characterized by hypocrisy. When it hits them, it is terrorism, but when it hits us, it is a revolution, liberty, democracy, and human rights. In their case, the perpetrators are terrorists, while in our case, they are considered rebels and moderate opposition. They scream for the whole world to hear when they are struck by a spark of fire, but they are silent as graves when we are consumed by it.

The recent changes on the international scene are genuine. There is a different analysis of what has happened in Syria, and there is a new understanding of the lies that have been used, and of the false claims of the West. But the positive changes in the West are unstable and transient, because they stem from their alarm about the terror that hit them, and their concern that if the Middle East turns into a scene of spreading terrorism… Well, the Middle East is Europe’s backyard.

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Therefore, I say that we should not rely upon these changes. They have not learned any lesson and have not acquired moral values. As long as the language of double standards prevails among them, everything is temporary and we should not rely on it. At any moment, it might change. When their domestic circumstances improve, the elections [are over] or terrorism [is curbed], they will return to their old colonialist policies.

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As for all the talk about the Syrian state making concessions… Our country is accused of being radical, extremist, inflexible, and unrealistic. There is a simple legal principle. We have legal experts with us here, but this principle is so simple that it requires no experts: One cannot give up what one does not own, unless he is empowered by the original owner. We have not been empowered by the Syrian to give up its national rights. The Syrian people alone has the right to make any concession if it so chooses. If the Syrian people had wanted to make these concessions, it would not have persevered for four years and paid this steep price.

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Our sister-country Iran has provided us with military expertise only. It did not provide us anything else in the military sense. As for our loyal brothers of the Lebanese resistance – they fought with us, and have given us everything they could… They have given us everything they could, including martyrs, whose blood mingled with the blood of their brothers in our armed forces.

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Bearing in mind what I have said about the war, and about the wealthy superpowers and the unlimited support of the terrorists – are the Syrian armed forces capable of carrying out their missions well, and defend the country? I don’t like exaggerations. My true, scientific and real answer is: Yes they are absolutely capable… They are capable of doing this and with ease. I cannot even say that it is very difficult. They can do it with ease.

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A country does not belong to the people living in it and carrying its passport. It belongs to the people who protect and defend it.

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My sisters and brothers, we are undergoing a crucial stage, in which there are no compromise solutions, and in which hesitation equals defeatism, cowardice, collaboration, and treason. There can be no relinquishing of rights or giving up a single inch [of land]. We will not be slaves, but independent masters of our country, our capabilities, and our rights. The world is gradually changing. Countries that adhere to their rights are bound to emerge victorious. The best example of this is our sister country, Iran, which achieved a [nuclear] agreement after prolonged suffering and forbearance, but with steadfastness, determination, and strong will. This is the conduct of free countries, which refuse to be enslaved or shackled. They place the interests of their people as the top priority, and march on.

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What’s important to me is the context – how Iran made it to this victory. Whether or not we like Iran, whether or not we agree with it, it has achieved a great victory.

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It is the unity of the Iranian people that has achieved this agreement, and has awarded Iran the nuclear right.

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We pay a steep price, brothers and sisters, because the conspiracy is on a large scale. This is a war of our very existence, a war of to be or not to be.

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We must not forget to thank our sistercountry, Iran, for the support that it has given and continues to give to Syria. We thank Russia and China for their loyal friendship, and for their help in many aspects, especially in the international forums. We thank the Lebanese resistance from the bottom of our hearts… We thank the Lebanese resistance from the bottom of our hearts, for reciprocating our loyalty with loyalty and our blood with blood.

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