Iran Says Trump’s Announcement «Unacceptable»: «Israel» Has No Sovereignty Over Arab Lands

By Staff, Agencies

The Arab League and Iran have strongly warned the US after President Donald Trump declared Thursday that he will recognize Syria's Golan Heights as “Israeli” territory.

Iran hit out at the decision, denouncing it as unacceptable. "This illegal and unacceptable recognition does not change the fact that it belongs to Syria," Foreign Ministry spokesman Bahram Qassemi said.

“The Zionist regime, as an occupying regime, has no sovereignty over any Islamic and Arab lands and its occupation (of the Golan) and acts of violation should be swiftly brought to an end,” he said.

Qassemi said the only solution to the Golan dispute is to end the “Israeli” occupation. He said Trump's "personal and rash decisions reveal yet another reality of US policies that are dangerous to the entire world, and will particularly push this volatile region to successive crises.”

The Islamic Republic, he said, "will closely monitor all future developments in the region and continue its cooperation and consultations with the Syrian government and other countries to take appropriate measures."

For their part, Arab League chief Ahmed Aboul Gheit said the 22-member organization "fully supports Syria's right for its occupied territory."

The Golan Heights are “occupied territory” belonging to Syria under international law and the resolutions of the United Nations and the UN Security Council, he stressed.

Trump’s announcement came as Pompeo was wrapping up a two-day trip to al-Quds [Jerusalem] during which he made a controversial visit to the Buraq Wall, called by the “Israeli” entity as the Wailing Wall, in the Old City.

The visit made him the highest-ranking US official to visit the site with any “Israeli” leader and appeared to further signal the Trump administration’s support for the entity’s control of the contested city.