Iran’s deputy foreign minister said on Wednesday that Tehran had yet to decide whether to participate in talks on the Syria crisis in Vienna later this week, Lebanon-based al Mayadeen television reported.
It cited Hossein Amir Abdollahian as saying participation depended on Washington’s “answers regarding some unilateral actions taken by some of the sides” attending the talks “without consulting others”. The newsflash did not elaborate.
Abdollahian made the remarks on a visit to Beirut, where he was meeting Lebanese officials.
A top advisor to Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was quoted last week as saying Iran would attend the talks, but warned over unspecified “red lines”.
Tehran recently warned it would quit Syria peace talks if it found them unconstructive, citing what it called the negative role of its regional rival Saudi Arabia.
Tensions between the two countries, which support opposing sides in Syria’s four-year civil war, have threatened to undermine the latest diplomatic efforts to end the conflict.
Riyadh is pushing the U.N. to condemn Iranian and Russian intervention in Syria in support of President Bashar al-Assad, a move than has prompted complaints from the delegations of Iran and Syria.
Vienna is set to host a ministerial meeting with Russia, the United States and other major powers later this week, the second such talks since Oct. 30.
The last round called for a nationwide ceasefire, but failed to decide on the fate of Assad, a key difference between foreign powers involved in the conflict that has killed 250,000 people.
(Reuters)
