Syria Ally Iran 'Shocked' at Trump Golan Decision

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif expressed shock on Friday at US President Donald Trump's acceptance of Israeli sovereignty over Syria's Golan Heights.

"All shocked by @realDonaldTrump continuing to try to give what is not his to racist Israel: first Al-Quds & now Golan" Zarif tweeted from Istanbul where he was attending an emergency meeting of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC).

Trump said on Thursday the United States should acknowledge Israeli sovereignty over the hotly contested Golan Heights.

"After 52 years it is time for the United States to fully recognize Israel's Sovereignty over the Golan Heights," Trump said in a tweet.

In 2017, Trump also went against decades of practice in recognizing the disputed city of Jerusalem, called Al-Quds by Muslims, as Israel's capital, rather than the previously accepted Tel Aviv.

Iran has been a key ally of the Syrian government during the devastating civil war that erupted in 2011 and a key player with Russia and Turkey in efforts to bring it to an end.

Iran's foreign ministry spokesman Bahram Ghasemi too condemned Trump's abrupt policy switch, saying it would only lead to more tension.

"The spontaneous decisions lift the curtain on the real policies of America -- policies that are dangerous for the whole world and will push this sensitive region towards successive crises," Bahram Ghasemi said.

Ghasemi promised that Iran would keep future events under observation and "adopt necessary policies in coordination with the Syrian government."