“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