The delegation, headed by Chairman of the Majlis (parliament) National Security and Foreign Policy Committee Alaeddin Boroujerdi, met with President Assad in the Syrian capital Damascus on Sunday.

The Iranian lawmakers also held separate meetings with Syrian Prime Minister Wael al-Halqi and Foreign Minister Walid Muallem later on Sunday.

The delegation arrived in Syria on Saturday as part of efforts by Tehran to support the Syrian government amid threats of a military strike against Damascus by the US and some of its allies.

“As representatives of the Islamic Republic of Iran, we once again inform Syrian officials and the international community of our opposition to any attack and war on Syria,” Boroujerdi told reporters after a meeting with Syrian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Jihad al-Laham in Damascus on Saturday.

On August 21, the Takfiri militants operating inside Syria and the foreign-backed Syrian opposition claimed that the government forces had used chemical weapons in an attack against militant strongholds in the suburbs of Damascus, killing hundreds of people.

The Syrian government has categorically rejected the claim as part of a false-flag operation. Washington, however, has used the pretext to step up its war rhetoric against Syria.

US President Barack Obama said on Saturday that he has decided to seek congressional approval for an attack on Syria. US lawmakers will debate the issue when they return from recess on September 9.

Syria has been gripped by deadly unrest since 2011. Western powers and their regional allies -- especially Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey -- are supporting the militants operating inside Syria.

According to the United Nations, more than 100,000 people have been killed and millions displaced due to the violence.

HH/HH