IRNA- Iran is against regime change in the countries of the region through military strikes, said an Iranian Middle East and nuclear policy specialist.


Hossein Mousavian, former deputy for Iran�s Supreme National Security Council (SNCS) and former senior nuclear negotiator, made the remarks in a recent interview with the American Real News Network.

'Iran is supporting (Syrian President Bashar al-) Assad because the grand strategy of Iran in the region is to resist against the notions, attempts, for bringing regime change in the region through military strikes,' Mousavian said stressing that it has been the US policy to attack many countries to bring regime change.

Noting that Syria has still a legal government, Mousavian complained but still there are thousands of terrorists in that country.

He advised that all countries present in Syria, including the US, should cooperate to clean Syria from terrorists, as it was at the first step.

According to Mousavian, after clearing Syria from terrorist groups, the second step is to hold a free election in that country, supervised by the UN.

Mousavian, a Princeton University researcher, also referred to the Saudi Arabia's wrong assumptions on Yemen, calling the military intervention it had started in the poor Arab country 'a big mistake'.

He stressed that US and other Security Council's permanent members, that supported the Saudi intervention, should sit together, rather than striking, to find a political solution for Yemen.

As for the future of Iran�s landmark nuclear deal known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan Of Action (JCPOA) after the upcoming presidential election in Iran, Mousavian said he believed that Tehran would be committed to the nuclear deal it signed in 2015 with world powers, regardless of who would be elected as the president in the election.


�Iran would be completely committed to the nuclear deal because it is an international agreement, not a party agreement that could be violated by an Iranian party,� he said.

The historic nuclear deal was signed in July 2015 between Iran and the world six major powers (US, Russia, Britain, France and China plus Germany). Its official implementation began in January 2016.


As for Iran-US cooperation on major regional and international issues, Mousavian pointed to two historical evidences, namely the nuclear talks and Afghanistan where Tehran and Washington cooperated.

He said Iran has been cooperative in negotiations both in regional and international issues.

If US seeks more cooperation with Iran, as in fighting against terrorism, �I believe this is more on the US side. If the US understands the reality, then we have a lot of common interests. Iran and the US, they have common interests to fight ISIS,...Look at all these groups. ISIS, Al ...,... Nusra, Al ... Boko Haram, they are all one package coming from one source of ideology.

�Even in Iraq, practically without direct cooperation, they are in the same boat. Helping the Iraqi government, Iranians and Americans practically are helping the Iraqi government to fight ISIS. They are on the same side. They are in the same boat.

�They have common interests for security and stability of energy; they have common interests to fight drug trafficking. They have common interests to fight terrorism. There are a lot of issues of commonality.�

Commenting on the Iran�s position about a peace deal between Palestine and the Zionist Israel, Mousavian said, �If there is going to be a real, serious, peace negotiation, which the Israelis have never been committed, even you understand Netanyahu who has declined the two-state solution supported and initiated by the U.S., Arab League, Arab countries, Europeans, therefore the issue is not really Iran, is Netanyahu to accept the two-state solution.

�However, if there is any type of agreement between Palestinians and Israelis, the Iranian Supreme Leader wants... two, three years ago, publicly said, Iran is not going to disturb -- Iran would respect the decision by Palestinians, whatever Palestinians they decide -- Iran would respect that decision. This is on the Palestinian-Israeli... Iran is not going to disturb a real peace, which Palestinians would agree to.

�On Syria, if the U.S., if Saudi Arabia, if the West is ready to shake hands with Russia and Iran, to fight seriously, genuinely, to clean Syria from the terrorists first, then Iran would agree for a free election. Supervised by the United Nations, for the Syrian nation to decide about a president, about their own Constitution, about their own future. Iran would respect any decision by the Syrian nation, through a free election supervised by the United Nations. That's it.�