CHAIRMAN: DR. KHALID BIN THANI AL THANI
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF: DR. KHALID MUBARAK AL-SHAFI

World / Middle East

Iran says U.S. move on north Syria safe zone is "provocative"

Published: 18 Aug 2019 - 05:08 pm | Last Updated: 01 Nov 2021 - 05:24 pm
Turkish military truck patrols next to a Turkish flag hoisted at the border with Syria on August 14, 2019, in Akcakale, in Sanliurfa, southeastern Turkey.  AFP

Turkish military truck patrols next to a Turkish flag hoisted at the border with Syria on August 14, 2019, in Akcakale, in Sanliurfa, southeastern Turkey. AFP

DUBAI: A U.S. agreement to set up a safe zone in northern Syria, a close ally of Iran, is "provocative and worrisome", the Iranian foreign ministry was reported to have said by the semi-official Fars news agency.

The United States and Turkey last week agreed to set up a joint operations centre for a proposed zone along Syria’s northeast border.

"Foreign Ministry spokesman Abbas Mousavi ... said the recent announcements and agreements by American officials about creating a safe zone in northern Syria are provocative and worrisome," Fars reported.

(Reporting by Dubai newsroom Editing by David Goodman)