BEIRUT: Iran’s Ambassador to Lebanon reiterated his country’s support for reforms under President Bashar Assad, stressing that the Syria crisis must be resolved internally.

“Iran supports the reformist demands of the Syrian people under President Bashar Assad,” Iranian Ambassador Ghazanfar Roknabadi told El-Nashra website.

“This crisis must be resolved inside Syria between the people and the regime,” he added.

The Iranian envoy expressed his country's opposition to internationalizing the 10-month-old conflict in Syria. By U.N. estimates, more than 5,400 people have been killed in violence in Syria since March.

His comments came ahead of a meeting with PSP Cabinet Minister Wael Abu Faour.

Roknabadi extended Abu Faour an invitation to attend a conference in Tehran and renewed an invitation to PSP leader Walid Jumblatt to visit Iran.