Azerbaijan, Baku, Dec. 18 /Trend S.Isayev/
The people of Syria must decide their own future, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast said at the press conference in Tehran, Press TV reported.
"They must be allowed to decide their own political future through votes, and offer viewpoints," Mehmanparast said. "Any measures that are aimed at claiming innocent lives and war mongering should be abandoned."
Syria has been experiencing unrest since March 2011, and many people, including large numbers of security forces, have been killed in the turmoil.
The Syrian government says the chaos is being orchestrated from outside the country, and there are reports that a very large number of militants are foreign nationals.
"Those who can have any kind of positiverole and help Syria - we want them all to help bring these clashes to the end," Mehmanparast noted.
Speaking on the issue of deployment of Patriot missiles in Turkey, Mehmanparast was brief, saying that any provocative measures in the region shatter its stability.
"NATO doesn't have a good record of intervention in the region, and we already spoke of our stance regarding the missile deployment," Mehmanparast noted.
On Dec. 16, Iran's foreign minister Ali Akbar Salehi said deployment of NATO Patriot missiles along the Turkish border with Syria is more provocative than deterrent.
"The deployment of Patriot missiles will certainly not help establish security and stability in the region," Salehi said on Sunday.
Salehi said the Syrian issue must be resolved by Syrians and without foreign interference, stressing that Iran has no intention for meddling in the internal affairs of other states and is merely working towards what Syrians want.
On November 21, Ankara formally asked NATO to deploy Patriot missiles on its border with Syria.
Despite strong opposition from Russia, Syria, China and Iran, the NATO military alliance on December 4 approved Turkey's request for the deployment of Patriot surface-to-air missiles along its border with Syria.
All the six Patriot batteries, which will be under NATO command and control, are scheduled to be operational near the Turkish-Syria border by the end of January 2013.