Iran does not believe Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and his government are about to fall, Deputy Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian said on Tuesday.
Asked after talks in Moscow about Western suggestions that Assad and his government might soon be ousted, he told Reuters through a translator: "We have serious doubts about that. The Syrian army and the state machine are working smoothly."
Like Russia,Iranhas been a staunch ally of Assad throughout the 21-month uprising against his rule.
The minister dismissed suggestions that Moscow had altered its stance on Syria, despite remarks by a seniorRussiandiplomat last week acknowledging that Assad's opponents could win the conflict.
"During our talks with ourRussianpartners, we have found there has been no change in theRussianposition on Syria," he told a news conference.
Russia has shielded Assad's government from U.N. Security Council censure and sanctions, resisting Western pressure to join efforts to push him from power.