Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei (R) meets with visiting Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in Tehran, Iran, on Feb. 25, 2019. (Xinhua/Iran's Supreme Leader office)

TEHRAN, Feb. 26 (Xinhua) -- Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei lauded what he called Syria's "resistance" against U.S. and its allies' pressures on the Arab country, Tasnim news agency reported on Tuesday.

"Resistance of the Syrian president and people has been the main reason behind defeat of the United States and its allies in the Arab country," Khamenei was quoted as saying.

In a meeting with the Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in the capital Tehran, Khamenei stressed that "the issue of the buffer zone, which the Americans seek to establish in Syria, is among those dangerous plots that must be categorically rejected and stood against."

Iran and Syria have built strategic partnership and forged joint power of the resistance against the U.S. and Israel, Khamenei said, adding that "this will prevent enemies from making their plans operational."

Khamenei also said that Iran takes pride in helping the Syrian government and people.

Al-Assad visited Iran on Monday and met Khamenei and Iran's President Hassan Rouhani on his first trip to Iran since the start of Syrian civil war.