PHOTO: Supreme Leader with Kyrgyzstan President Almazbek Atambayev on Saturday

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Iran’s Supreme Leader used a visit by Kyrgyzstan’s President on Saturday to issue his latest proclamation of the Islamic Republic’s strength in the face of the American enemy.

Ayatollah Khamenei hailed Almazbek Atambayev’s decision last year to halt American access to the Manas airbase, used by US forces since operations in Afghanistan in 2001.

President Rouhani added his praise in a press conference with Atambayev: “Given the new Kyrgyz government’s tendency towards independence, closing the Manas Base in opposition to the Americans’ desire was an admirable job.”

However, the regime also used the Kyrgyz President’s visit to put out a more positive signal towards the Americans. After days of political maneuvers inside Tehran raising the possibility of a Parliamentary vote blocking the July 14 nuclear agreement between Iran and the 5+1 Powers, Atambayev endorsed the deal in a meeting with Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif.

Iranian President: Europe Must Help Syrian Refugees

President Rouhani has said European countries must help Syrian refugees arriving at their borders.

Receiving the newly-appointing Ambassador from Hungary — highlighted this week for refusing further movement to refugees — Rouhani said, “I am glad that some European countries have taken a positive stance on helping refugees out of their harrowing situation. I hope all countries in Europe and other parts of the world soon join this trend and compensate for the shortcomings.”

The President did not comment on how many refugees Iran has taken or whether Iranian support of the Assad regime may have contributed to the crisis of displaced Syrians.

(Cross-posted from Syria Daily)