Syrian Prime Minister Hussein Arnus on Thursday discussed over the phone with Iran’s Vice President Eskhak Jahangiri joint action to counter Western sanctions against both countries.
“Iranian Vice President Eskhak Jahangiri congratulated Syrian Prime Minister Hussein Arnus on his new appointment. Jahangiri reaffirmed his confidence in the continuation and development of the special Syrian-Iranian relations, in particular economic, as part of the opposition to Western measures and sanctions which both people fall under”, – the Syrian state television and radio broadcasting agency reports.
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on June 11 dismissed Prime Minister Imad Khamis, who has held this post since 2016. Syrian Minister of Water Resources Hussein Arnus has been appointed Acting Prime Minister.
The Syrian prime minister, in turn, reaffirmed Damascus’s intentions to expand Syrian-Iranian relations, which are an “example of interstate ties”, expressing recognition for Iran’s support despite the sanctions and pressure from the West.
The US President Donald Trump signed into law, which became known as Caesar, at the end of 2019. It entered into force on June 1 and includes sanctions affecting almost all areas of the Syrian economy. The sanctions list was expanded on June 17, 14 people got under restriction, including the spouse of Syrian President Bashar Assad Asma Assad and his sister Bushra Assad, as well as 21 organizations.