Responding to a message of congratulations from Assad for his election, Rohani  "expressed certainty that with the efforts of benevolent and peaceful forces, the great and resistant nation of Syria will be able to completely pass the current situation," ISNA news agency reported.

Iran is a staunch supporter of the Assad government in its fight against terrorist groups.

Rohani , who is to take office on August 3, also expressed hope for "comprehensive political and economic cooperation" with Damascus, and to "confront the plots of the enemies of the region, including the Zionist regime (Israel)," the report added.

In a separate message to Hezbollah Secretary Gerneral Seyyed Hassan Nasrallah, Rohani said Iran backed the Palestinians and the Lebanese nation, while highlighting the resistance movement's "endeavors" for the anti-Israeli resistant front -- comprised of Iran, Syria and Lebanon.

Rohani has said one of his foreign policy priorities is to mend difficult relations between Iran and Persian Gulf Arab states, which have been further strained by the Syrian conflict.

The conflict in Syria started in March 2011, when pro-reform protests turned into a massive insurgency following the intervention of Western and regional states.

The unrest, which took in terrorist groups from across Europe, the Middle East and North Africa, has transpired as one of the bloodiest conflicts in recent history.

As the foreign-backed insurgency in Syria continues without an end in sight, the US government has boosted its political and military support to Takfiri extremists.

Washington has remained indifferent about warnings by Russia and other world powers about the consequences of arming militant groups.

BA/BA