MOSCOW (Sputnik) — In an interview with Iranian media cited by the Syrian SANA news agency, Mikdad observed that the efficiency of Russian airstrikes "debunked the US-led coalition, that only claims to be fighting terrorism but has done nothing actually."
Mikdad added that the US-led international coalition aims to destroy Syrian statehood and only prolongs war in the country.
The minister asserted that Russia provided the backdrop for the ability of the warring parties to make serious progress during two rounds of Moscow intra-Syrian consultations earlier this year, calling for a third round of talks in the Russian capital.
Since September 2014, a US-led coalition has been bombing ISIL positions in Syria without the approval of the UN Security Council or the Syrian authority. Earlier this month, Syrian President Bashar Assad claimed that ISIL had expanded its territories, and that the number of insurgents had increased since the beginning of the US-led bombing campaign.
Moscow has concurrently promoted a political settlement in Syria, hosting two rounds of intra-Syrian talks between representatives of the Syrian government and the country's opposition in 2015.
