Bashar Assad’s role in Syria solution ‘pivotal’

President Bashar Assad has a “pivotal” role to play in the war on terrorism and in any political settlement to Syria’s devastating civil war, a senior Iranian official said.

About 250,000 people have been killed and more than 1m wounded in Syria since March 2011, according to UN officials. More than half the country’s population has been displaced, including more than 4m who have fled Syria.

Deputy foreign minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian said after meeting with Assad that any “successful” attempt to find a solution should take into consideration the right of the Syrian people to shape their future.