The top aide of Iran’s Supreme Leader has declared that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad “is stronger than ever before”.

Speaking to the pro-Assad Lebanese newspaper as-Safir, Velayati confidently assured, “There was a time when the armed opposition was advancing in Damascus and were at a distance of 200 or 300 meters from President Assad’s office; where are they now?”

He then praised the Islamic Republic for saving the Syrian regime:

No one supported Bashar Assad to the extent of the Islamic Republic of Iran. Even Russia did not give the necessary support.

If we did not support Syria and we left Damascus, Syria’s fate would be worse than Libya’s.

Velayati’s declaration came as Tehran insisted that Assad must be allowed to run for re-election under a plan for transition discussed at two international conferences in Vienna. Deputy Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian asserted, “Any qualified person, including Bashar al-Assad, is entitled to stand as candidate in any final political process, but it is the Syrian people who will decide.”

Iran arranged with Russia this summer for the military intervention preventing the Assad regime and Syrian military from collapsing. Russian bombing from September 30 and a surge in Iranian and Iranian-led ground forces have supported a six-front regime offensive. The attacks have only shown notable success south of Aleppo city, but have prevented further rebel advances, except in northern Hama Province.

The Supreme Leader’s advisor, a former Foreign Minister, declared:

The Europeans and the Americans must know that there is strategic cooperation in place between Iran, Russia and China. One area of cooperation is in Syria. We hope that this agreement expands and includes Iraq, if that government supports it. The Russian President Vladimir Putin in September of last year spoke about a coalition between Iran, Russia, Syria and Iraq.

Velayati portrayed the Iranian support as a bulwark against plans by Western and Arab powers to break up countries in the region:

They want to divide Syria into five countries and Iraq into three countries. We have stood up to this plan and will continue to stand up to it….

With the help of Hezbollah and Iraq, we provided the necessary support for Bashar Assad and we defeated the American’s plan in Syria, Lebanon and Iraq. We will never stop helping Bashar al Assad and the President of Iraq, the Lebanese resistance, Palestine, Hamas, and the Islamic Jihad in Palestine.

He specifically targeted Riyadh, claiming, “Extremist groups have hidden themselves behind Saudi Arabia and are active with Saudi money.”