Sputnik- Iranian Defense Minister Hossein Dehghan said that Saudi Arabia should not participate in the Syrian peace process.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Saudi Arabia's participation in the Syrian peace process is impossible as Ryadh is seeking to oust President Bashar Assad, Iranian Defense Minister Hossein Dehghan said Tuesday. "They [Saudi Arabia] are seeking to topple the existing regime. No talks should be allowed with those who are eager to do it. we must give them a decisive answer," Dehghan said in an interview with RT television commenting on the peace process in Syria.

Since 2011, Syria has been engulfed in a civil war, following the protests that had turned violent, as part of the so-called Arab Spring. During the conflict, hundreds of thousands of Syrians have been killed and millions more have been displaced.

Russia and Iran have been supporting the legitimate Syrian government headed by President Bashar Assad while the western countries as well as Saudi Arabia are backing the so-called moderate opposition and demand resignation of Assad