IRAN and Syria signed a deal for military cooperation in a meeting between the defense ministers of the two countries in Damascus, the Tasnim news agency reported yesterday.

Iranian Defense Minister Amir Hatami travelled to Damascus on Sunday for a two-day visit, meeting Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and senior military officials, Tasnim reported.

Iranian forces have backed Assad in the country′s civil war.

Tasnim did not provide any details about the military cooperation deal. U.S. National Security Adviser John Bolton said last week that Iran should remove its forces from Syria.

Senior Iranian officials have said their military presence in Syria is at the invitation of the Assad government and they have no immediate plans to withdraw.

Meanwhile, the head of the navy of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards, General Alireza Tangsiri, said yesterday that Iran has full control of the Gulf, and the U.S. Navy does not belong there, according to the Tasnim news agency.

The remarks come at a time when Tehran has suggested that it could take military action in the Gulf to block oil exports of other regional countries in retaliation for U.S. sanctions intended to halt its oil sales. Washington maintains a fleet in the Gulf, which protects oil shipping routes.

Tangsiri said Iran had full control of both the Gulf itself and the Strait of Hormuz that leads into it. Closing off the strait would be the most direct way of blocking shipping. (SD-Agencies)