In a meeting with the Syrian defense minister, Iran’s President Ebrahim Raisi has said the Islamic Republic is ready to help Damascus financially in rebuilding the country.

Raisi also described the relations between the two countries as strategic stating that Iran will always stand by Syria.

“The Islamic Republic of Iran is a true friend of the Syrian nation because it stood by the Syrian nation and government during the period of resistance against terrorism and is ready now to stand by them during the reconstruction period by boosting all-round economic cooperation,” Raisi told the Syrian minister Ali Mahmoud Abbas.

The comments by Raisi comes at a time when Iran is facing one of its most severe economic crises with the national currency at a historic low, with tens of millions hit by unexpected poverty.

Meanwhile, in a separate meeting, Commander of the Revolutionary Guard Hossein Salami told the Syrian official that Tehran is ready to help Bashar al-Assad’s armed forces in the required fields.

On Monday, Chairman of the Chiefs of Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces Mohammad Bagheri also expressed the Islamic Republic’s willingness to help the Syrian military in restructuring, training, and supplying equipment. He further stressed the need for staging a joint military wargame by Iran and Syria.

The extent of Iranian military expenditures and financial aid to Syria to keep President Bashar al-Assad in power is not known, but by some estimates Tehran has spent more than $30 billion over the last decade to support Assad’s regime.