Top Syrian officials are briefing Iranian leaders in Tehran on the Middle East peace process, Syrian and European sources in Damascus said Saturday. Syrian Vice President Abdel Halim Khaddam and Foreign Minister Farouk Sharaa arrived in Tehran late Friday to meet Iranian leader Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani. Well-informed Syrian sources said Khaddam was expected to brief Rafsanjani on the latest developments of the Israeli-Syrian peace talks, particularly the security meetings scheduled to begin Tuesday in Washington. ‘Syria is eager to inform Iran on the developments of the peace process because it is a strategic ally,’ a Syrian source said. European sources said they will also discuss the U.S.-Iranian dispute that culminated with economic sanctions on Tehran. President Bill Clinton issued an executive order May 6 barring U.S. companies from buying Iranian oil for international resale or doing business with Iran, which he accused of supporting international terrorism and seeking to develop nuclear arms. A Western source in Damascus said the countries have common interests, including their dispute with the Iraqi government and their goal of removing Jerusalem from Israeli control. Iran also has never forgotten that Syria was the first country to recognize the Islamic Republic of Iran in 1979 after the revolution. Moreover, Syria has not restrained the Hezbollah (Party of God) guerrillas in Lebanon since the movement was formed when Israel invaded Lebanon in 1982. Iran lends economic and other support to Hezbollah, whose members are mainly Shiite, while Syria bases 35,000 troops in Lebanon and is that nation’s main power broker.