Iran and Russia on Tuesday condemned the deployment of American forces at the site of Syrian oil fields, calling it “illegal,” Reuters reported.
The two allies have also insisted that their own forces and bases in the Syrian soil are requested by Bashar Assad’s regime.
The remarks came as US president Donald Trump suggested on Sunday that Exxon Mobile Crop or some other US oil companies operate Syrian oil. Trump had previously claimed that a limited number of US forces will stay in Syria despite his earlier announcement of sudden withdrawal to protect the oil fields from ISIS militant and “others.”
US Defence Secretary Mark Esper said on Friday that his country will strengthen its military presence in Syria with “mechanized forces” to prevent ISIS fighters from seizing the oil fields.
According to Reuters, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that any kind of exploitation of resources by US would be illegal.
After meeting with Russia’s Lavrov and Turkey’s Mevlut Cavusoglu, Iranian foreign Minister Mohamad Javad Zarif responded to the issue at a conference in Geneva on Tuesday.
“Well it seems that the United States is staying to protect the oil. And at least President Trump is honest to say what the United State intends to do,” Reuters cited Zarif as saying.
