US concerned about Iran as guarantor of Syrians' safety while backing Assad

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region — After the US attended the fourth round of the Syrian peace talks in Astana where the establishment of de-confliction zones was guaranteed by Iran, Turkey, and Russia, the United States expressed "concerns" as Iran being a "so-called guarantor."

"We continue to have concerns about the Astana agreement, including the involvement of Iran as a so-called 'guarantor,' read a US State Department statement.

"Iran’s activities in Syria have only contributed to the violence, not stopped it, and Iran’s unquestioning support for the Assad regime has perpetuated the misery of ordinary Syrians," it added.

The US foreign office also called on Turkey "to separate from designated terrorist groups, including Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham," as they "continue to hijack the legitimate aspirations of the Syrian people for a representative and accountable government."

The Turkish foreign ministry stated the details of the de-confliction zones would be set forth in a working group established between the tripartite.

There was no immediate comment from the Jordanian Foreign Ministry, which along with the United Nations and the US, attended the talks in the Kazakh capital as observers.

The UN Special Envoy for Syria released a statement on Thursday, in which he put the onus on Syria to prioritize civic change.

"The discussions are guided by UN Security Council resolution 2254 (2015), focusing on matters of governance, a schedule and process to draft a new constitution and the holding of elections as the basis for a Syrian-led, Syrian-owned process to end the conflict," the UN statement read.

The Syrian civil war has stretched on for six years leaving an estimated 400,000 Syrians dead. It has been compounded by the rise of ISIS in the region.

Russia and Iran have been Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's primary backer, while Turkey has primarily supported the opposition’s Free Syrian Army (FSA).