Assad: No New Offers on Iran Nuke Standoff

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad says he didn’t bring any new offers from the west when he called on Iran’s president this weekend.

Assad Sunday wrapped up a weekend visit to Tehran that came in the wake of a trip to France where Assad was reportedly asked by Paris to mediate the ongoing dispute over Iran’s nuclear program.

The Jerusalem Post said while he discussed the Iran standoff with President Nicolas Sarkozy, he did not go to Tehran with any new offers.

I did not come on this visit as a mediator nor a messenger and I did not bring with me any messages from Western sources, Assad said at a news conference with Iran’s Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in Tehran.

Assad also said peaceful nuclear energy was the right of every nation in the Middle East.

Israel’s Ynetnews said Assad also met with Iran’s powerful spiritual leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, during the visit. Ynetnews quoted Iranian media as saying Assad hailed victories by the Islamic resistance in Lebanon and the strengthening of Hamas.