Iran envoy: Return of Golan Heights to Syria is our goal too

The Iranian ambassador to Damscus Hassan Akhtari said in an interview recently published that "returning the Golan Heights [to Syrian hands] is also an Iranian objective."
Speaking to the London-based Al Hayat Arab language newspaper, Akhtari said "the issue of Syrian participation in a peaceful retrieval of the Golan Heights has been on the agenda since the days of the late Syrian President Hafez Assad. Returning the Golan is not an exclusive Syrian objective, it is also an Iranian goal," he said. Akhtari's comments are uncommon in their explicitness, as Tehran is usually careful in making statements about Israel-Syria negotiations. Those urging Israel to renew its dialogue with Syria contend that talks with Damascus may weaken its strategic pact with Tehran. In this context Akhtari's interview can be seen as an attempt to restrain Syria from making overtures to Israel. The Iranian envoy said that relations between Damascus and Tehran were "excellent and strategic," although he stressed the two nations had not entered an official a pact.