US policies threaten both nations. Doing so imperils the region and beyond. Syria's now in focus. Iran's turn awaits.

What's likely should terrify everyone wanting America's imperium defeated and peace restored. Doing so remains a distant dream. Potential worst of times loom.

On December 17, the Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) cited Syrian Vice President Farouk al-Sharaa saying continuing armed conflict favors neither side.

Opposition elements can't topple Assad without creating endless violence and chaos, he stressed.

He urged conflict resolution and national unity. "We are not protecting some particular person or regime. We are fighting for the very existence of Syria," he explained.

Elements committing crimes in Syria, and nations supporting them, lost all national, moral, and humane sense, he said. Government forces are duty-bound to restore and preserve public safety.

The longer conflict continues, the harder peaceful resolution becomes. He has no simple solutions to propose. Both sides must commit to find them.

Washington, key NATO partners, Israel, and regional allies maintain hidebound policies. They support continued conflict. They want Syria destroyed. They want Assad replaced by pro-Western extremists. Most Syrians deplore them.

He thanked Syria's real friends. He named Iran, Hezbollah's Hasan Nasrallah, Russia and China.

On December 17, Voice of Russia (VoR) discussed a December 17-18 Rome conference. More than 30 internal and external interests are involved.

Moscow hopes discussions may smooth the way for constructive conflict-ending dialogue. Hope springs eternal. Fulfillment remains distant.

The National Coordination Committee for Democratic Change (NCC) organized the conference. Its members favor peaceful conflict resolution. They reject continuing violence. They deplore outside elements pursuing violence and destruction.

Moscow Middle East expert Said Gafurov is cautiously optimistic. The conference may "contribute to resolving the Syrian gridlock," he said.

It's "an important step because it may help participants to sit down for parleys with the government."

"It's hard to say whether the conference will see any breakthroughs, but I don't rule out that the gathering will at least pave the way for isolating irreconcilable militants."

At the same time, FSA elements "want power, not democracy." They're "loath to consider the fact that at least 60 percent of the Syrian population supports" Assad.

After many months of conflict, the vast majority likely support him. He's their last line of defense. Without him, they're at the mercy of Washington-recruited Islamofascist killers.

They want their will forcibly imposed. They reject peace talks. They take orders from Washington. America's in charge. US officials plot what type future they plan for Syrians.

Moscow-based Institute for Middle Eastern and Israeli Studies head Yevgeny Satanovsky added:

"Some opposition activists are really poised for talks free from foreign interference."

"Most opposition figures, including those from the Free Syrian Army (FSA), are oriented towards outside forces and the fall of the Assad regime."

"They call for the physical liquidation of President Assad and his family members, as well as representatives of religious and confessional minorities whom they describe as 'heretics.' "

Elements in Rome hope fruitful discussion will be prelude for a late December Cairo conference. Some see a chance to open dialogue between Assad and moderate opposition forces wanting peace.

On December 16, SANA quoted Nasrallah saying:

"Whoever thinks that the armed opposition in Syria is capable of resolving things militarily on the ground is mistaken.

Insurgents can't emerge victorious, he added. Western nations lured Al Qaeda and other extremist fighters to Syria. They sent them on a fool's errand.

"I warned Al-Qaida. The Americans and the European countries and Arab and Islamic countries have set a trap for you in Syria, and opened for you a battlefield so you come from across the world to be killed and to kill each other."

Days earlier, Russia denied one of its senior diplomats said Assad is losing control of his country.

Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov was misquoted. Media scoundrels claimed Moscow believed he was doomed. His real assessment was:

"The fighting will become even more intense, and (Syria) will lose tens of thousands and, perhaps, hundreds of thousands of civilians."

"If such a price for the removal of the president seems acceptable to you, what can we do? We, of course, consider it absolutely unacceptable."

Russia's Foreign Ministry said Bogdanov "has not made any statements or (given) special interviews recently." His comments were made in a recent speech.

On December 17, senior Iranian lawmaker Gholam Ali Haddad Adel condemned Washington and Western allies. He denounced their double standard hypocrisy on Iran's nuclear program.

"If you are concerned about (it), why do you support the Zionist regime which does not abide by UN resolutions," he asked?

Tehran fully complies with NPT provisions, he stressed. Israel spurns them. No evidence whatever suggests an Iranian nuclear weapons program. High US, other Western, and Israeli officials know but won't say.

Israel's had a powerful arsenal for decades. It's the region's only nuclear power. It threatens to use them if endangered. It refuses inspections.

Iran's UN ambassador, Mohammad Khazayee, earlier denounced Israel's refusal to join NPT and allow IAEA inspections.

"Iran considers Israel as the prime suspect in the field of possessing nuclear weapons and not abiding by the NPT. The international community should exert pressure on the Zionist regime to join the NPT," he added.