Iran Seeks Syrian Cooperation Against U.S. Pressure

Reuters, Yahoo News!:

Iran's new president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, called on Sunday for closer cooperation with Syria in the face of pressure on both countries from the United States. "The existence of common threats requires more cooperation between Tehran and Damascus," Iran's official news agency IRNA quoted Ahmadinejad as saying at a joint news conference with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

Assad arrived earlier in the day, the first foreign leader to visit the Islamic Republic's new president, a religious conservative who took the oath of office on Saturday following his surprise election victory in June.

"There is no limit for Iran and Syria's cooperation ... Boosting the ties can protect the Middle East region from possible aggressions," Ahmadinejad said. READ MORE

Both Tehran and Damascus -- allies in the 1980-88 Iran-Iraq war -- face U.S. accusations of not making a serious effort to prevent insurgents from crossing into Iraq, charges both deny.

Washington also accuses Iran of seeking nuclear weapons, while Tehran says it wants to develop its nuclear expertise solely to generate electricity.

Ahmadinejad vowed on Saturday that Iran would not be intimidated by Western threats.

John Bolton, in his debut speech as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, pressed Syria and Iran last week to do more to stem the flow of insurgents, arms and funding into neighboring Iraq.

Tehran and Damascus, both on the U.S. list of state sponsors of terrorism, have repeatedly said they are doing all they can to control their long borders with Iraq.

Both countries are also strong backers of Lebanon's Hizbollah, whose leaders visited Iran earlier this month to congratulate Ahmadinejad on his election victory.