Iran Rejects US Conditions for Syria Peace Talks

Focus Should Be Ending Fighting, Not Side Demands

Iranian officials have said they reject any US preconditions for their participation in Syrian peace talks, insisting that the focus is on achieving a solution to the ongoing Syrian Civil War, and not on dictating terms of third parties.

The US have opposed allowing Iran to take part in any peace talks, but are now saying they might be willing to consider it if Iran endorsed US calls for a “transitional” government to run Syria.

The Geneva 2 conferences were scheduled for June but never happened, and while officials say they hope to eventually get the talks in place, the question of whether or not Iran can come may be entirely academic since the talks might simply never happen.

Syria’s government has suggested they would participate in the talks, if they happen, but none of the rebel factions have agreed to the talks, and are instead demanding unconditional surrender as a precondition for transitional talks.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.