TEHRAN, April 16: Iran will not defend neighbouring Syria militarily against the United States, Iranian President Mohammad Khatami said on Wednesday.

“We support Syria which is on the front line against the Zionist regime and defends the Palestinian cause, but that does not mean we are going to enter a military phase to defend Syria against an eventual attack,” Mr Khatami said after his weekly cabinet meeting.

“I hope the US threats against Syria are bluffs,... I don’t think the United States has the capacity to attack Syria, since the world situation does not allow a repetition of what happened in Iraq,” Mr Khatami said, while calling on Washington to stop its “threats” against Damascus.

A close ally since the 1979 revolution, Syria was the only Arab country that supported Iran in its war against Iraq from 1980-1988.

Mr Khatami also called on US forces to leave Iraqi territory to preserve their interests.

“If the Iraqi regime had been toppled by the Iraqi people themselves, we would have organized a big feast in Iran, but occupation of Iraq (by US-led forces) is a violation of international regulations,” he said.

Asked about relations between Tehran and Washington, which severed ties after the 1979 revolution and the bitter embassy hostage crisis, Mr Khatami said: “If we feel US behaviour toward us has changed, a new situation maybe be created that would permit us to adopt new ways.”—AFP