In a Sunday telephone conversation with a number of families of the 48 abductees, the Iranian ambassador expressed confidence that all of the kidnapped Iranian nationals are in good health.
He said all pertinent bodies, including Iran’s Embassy in Syria, are making constant efforts to pave the way for the release of the abductees.
He hoped the ongoing efforts would yield result in the near future.
On August 4, 48 Iranian pilgrims, traveling on a bus from the Damascus International Airport to the shrine of Hazrat Zainab (AS) on the outskirts of the Syrian capital, were abducted by foreign-backed members of the terrorist Free Syrian Army (FSA).
In a video aired by the Saudi-owned television network Al-Arabiya on October 5, the insurgents threatened to kill all of the Iranian abductees if the Syrian government did not release captured anti-government insurgents and if it did not stop operations against armed groups in the country within 48 hours.
However, Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian warned the self-proclaimed FSA against harming the Iranian pilgrims abducted in the crisis-hit country.
“Abductors of the Iranian pilgrims are well aware of the Islamic Republic’s position and they know that what dire consequences they will face if the health of these people is endangered,” he said.
Hundreds of thousands of Iranians travel to Syria every year to visit the Shrine of Hazrat Zeinab (AS) in Damascus.
Iran has appealed to the United Nations, Turkey, and Qatar to make efforts to obtain the release of the Iranian nationals.
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