Iran and Syria FMs meet in Tehran

Syria's new foreign minister Faisal Mekdad met his Iranian counterpart in Tehran on Monday. Iran's official news agency said Mekdad will also meet the secretary of Iran's National Security Council to discuss regional issues including "fighting terrorism in its new forms."

Mekdad was recently appointed foreign minister by Syria's president Bashar el Assad following the death Walid al-Moallem who held the post for more than a decade. Like his predecessor, Mekdad is a career diplomat who has been a close confidant of Assad and a harsh critic of the opposition during Syria's nearly 10-year conflict.