BEIRUT, August 2. /TASS/. Sanctions imposed by the West on Syria and Iran have disastrous consequences for ordinary citizens of these countries, Syrian Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad said.

The SANA news agency quoted the top diplomat as saying at a meeting with Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi in Tehran that the sanctions "contradict international humanitarian law and have a catastrophic impact on the lives of the [Syrian and Iranian] peoples, especially children and women."

For his part, Raisi praised the resilience of Syrians and the country’s leadership in the face of the calamities that have befallen the country, pointing to the need for the withdrawal of all foreign forces illegally present in Syria and the full restoration of the Syrian sovereignty. He also stressed the importance of developing relations between Damascus and Tehran in various fields.