Iran ‘ready’ to reopen embassy in Syria
Damascus responds in kind in diplomatic talks
The Iranian government spokeswoman expressed Tehran’s readiness to reopen its embassy in Damascus, amid challenges facing Syria two weeks after Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) militants took over the Arab country.
During a press conference on Tuesday, Mohajerani stated that Iran would pursue the matter through diplomatic channels, Press TV reported.
“Our approach to reopening embassies is diplomatic, as it always has been, and we stand ready for this,” she said.
“They are also prepared, and we are currently engaged in diplomatic talks for the reopening of embassies,” she added.
After HTS militants seized control of Syria on December 8, which brought an end to Bashar al-Assad’s 24-year presidency, the country continues to face significant challenges on both national and international fronts.
Syria’s stability and future are threatened by various factors, including Israel’s illegal occupation of Syrian territory, driven by its expansionist policies, and the persistent presence of the so-called Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), which are backed by the US, in the country’s northern regions.
Clean energy to ease crisis
In another part of the press conference, the government spokesperson regarding addressing the energy imbalance said that, following President Masoud Pezeshkian’s directive to the Planning and Budget Organization for investment in renewable energy, a joint working group has been formed, one member of which is the Ministry of Energy.
Given the country’s climatic conditions, it is possible to produce 30,000 megawatts of solar power, and she expressed hope that the country can move towards clean energy.
With over 300 sunny days per year and high wind capacity in various regions, Iran has vast potential for generating electricity from clean energy sources.
Tehran and other provinces have faced rolling power blackouts for weeks in October and November.
Regarding the implementation of power outages, the government spokesperson stated, “Currently, the supply of liquid fuel diesel to power plants has doubled, showing a 200 percent increase. We hope that with the increase in gas supply and the import of gas from some countries, this declining trend that we have witnessed in recent days in the number of outages and the amount of damages done to the industry will continue.”
“To overcome this situation and avoid facing another problem in the summer, 14 major projects have been designed and are currently being worked on at the Ministry of Energy,” Mohajerani added.