Expand / Collapse search
Watch TV
Menu

This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. ©2026 FOX News Network, LLC. All rights reserved. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. Market data provided by Factset. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. Legal Statement. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by LSEG.

World

Iran lawmaker says US training program for Syrian rebels 'strategic mistake,' criticizes Saudi

Associated Press
Published | Updated
  • 496e35a2-
    Image 1 of 2

    In this photo released by the Syrian official news agency SANA, Iranian parliament member Alaeddin Boroujerdi, right, shakes hands with Syrian Prime Minister Wael al-Halqi, left, in Damascus, Syria, Thursday, May 14, 2015. A prominent Iranian lawmaker has criticized the training of some Syrian rebels by the United States and its allies, calling it a "strategic mistake." The U.S. program to train Syria's moderate rebels began earlier this month in Jordan and is scheduled to expand to Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Qatar. (SANA via AP) (The Associated Press)

  • 97495bd8-
    Image 2 of 2

    In this photo released by the Syrian official news agency SANA, Iranian parliament member Alaeddin Boroujerdi, left, speaks during a press conference, in Damascus, Syria, Thursday, May 14, 2015. A prominent Iranian lawmaker has criticized the training of some Syrian rebels by the United States and its allies, calling it a "strategic mistake." The U.S. program to train Syria's moderate rebels began earlier this month in Jordan and is scheduled to expand to Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Qatar. (SANA via AP) (The Associated Press)

DAMASCUS, Syria – A prominent Iranian lawmaker has criticized the training of some Syrian rebels by the United States and its allies, calling it a "strategic mistake."

The U.S. program to train Syria's moderate rebels began earlier this month in Jordan and is scheduled to expand to Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Qatar.

Iranian parliament member Alaeddin Boroujerdi said during a visit to Damascus on Thursday that the program is the "hated and despicable" face of what he called training and empowering "terrorists" — a term the Syrian government uses for rebels fighting to topple Syrian President Bashar Assad.

Boroujerdi reaffirmed Iran's support for Assad's government, saying it's "stable and permanent."

He also lashed out at Saudi Arabia for its military campaign against Yemen's Iran-backed Shiite rebels. He called the Saudi monarch a "traitor."

Close modal

Continue