Iran is ready to help rebuild Syria, the Islamic republic’s foreign minister said on Tuesday as he hosted his Syrian counterpart in Tehran. Mohammad Javad Zarif met Walid Mouallem for closed-door talks at Iran’s Foreign Ministry. Zarif confirmed “the readiness of Iranian companies to cooperate economically with Syria during the reconstruction period,” the ministry said. Damascus and Tehran signed deals late last month, including a long-term “economic cooperation” agreement. Mouallem’s arrival in Tehran coincided with the first visit to Tehran by the UN’s new Syria envoy, Geir Pedersen, who also met Zarif, according to AFP.