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| US President Donald Trump talks to reporters as he signs the Iraq and Syria Genocide Relief and Accountability Act of 2018 in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, US, December 11, 2018 |
Iran said that the US military presence in Syria had been โa mistake, illogical and a source of tensionโ, in Tehranโs first reaction to President Donald Trumpโs planned pull-out.
Trump has begun what will be a total withdrawal of US troops from Syria, saying on Wednesday they had succeeded in their mission to defeat Islamic State and were no longer needed in the country.
โFrom the start, the entry and presence of American forces in the region has been a mistake, illogical and a source of tension, and a main cause of instability,โ Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Bahram Qasemi was quoted as saying by state media on Saturday.
Trump said in a tweet on Thursday that โRussia, Iran, Syria & many others are not happyโ about the planned US withdrawal.
Iran, a key supporter of President Bashar al-Assad in Syriaโs civil war, has sent military โadvisersโ as well as military equipment and regional Shiโite militias to fight anti-government groups.
Tehran has opposed the presence of foreign forces in Syria, except those โ from Iran and Russia โ which have been invited by the Assad government.
