Mullah Ahmad Khatami, member of the regime’s Assembly of Experts, said in a speech in Babul (northern Iran) regarding Assad’s downfall: If the world arrogance prevails in Syria, the next place will be Iraq, after that Iran. Know that with the downfall of Syria the enemy will be able to come closer to the country’s borders, and our ultimate goal in Syria, apart from our religion and beliefs, is protecting national interest, Khatami added.