File image.
Iran continues to send mixed signals to the Islamist-led interim government that assumed power in Syria after the fall of the regime of president Bashar al-Assad, which was allied to Tehran.
Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister and Head of the Strategic Studies Center at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Saeed Khatibzadeh, said on April 18 that the Islamic Republic was “ready to provide support and assistance to the new Syrian government.”
“We officially declare Iran’s readiness to support and assist the new Syrian government,” Khatibzadeh said, according to the Iranian outlet Tabnak.
“We withdrew from Syria when it became clear to us that the central government does not wish to defend itself,” he added.
The senior diplomat continued, “Our policy has always been consistent, we support central governments, whether in Syria, or in Qatar when it was blockaded by Saudi Arabia, or when we stood by our brothers in Turkey during the attempted coup.”
In addition, Khatibzadeh emphasized that Iran is ready to offer all forms of support and assistance to the government in Damascus, so that it may attain a comprehensive role and be in a stronger and more stable position.
However, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on April 19 that the Islamic Republic does not intend to establish contacts with Syria’s transitional government until it ensures security in the country.
“Iran is not engaging with the current Syrian government. We have no contacts and we are not in a hurry to establish them… We are not taking any measures against it. We are just waiting for them to complete their work to ensure security, stability and to establish an inclusive legitimate government that includes all ethnic groups,” he told RT in an interview.
According to the top Iranian diplomat, the Syrian issue was raised during his meeting with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov.
Both Iran and Russia are extremely concerned about the situation in Syria, and both sides are interested in ensuring stability and security in the region, Araghchi added.
The fall of the Assad regime was a blow to Iran. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and its affiliates were forced to withdraw from Syria, and all key supply routes to Hezbollah in neighboring Lebanon, Tehran’s closest ally, were severed by the new government.
So far, the Syrian government has shown no interest in rebuilding relations with Iran. In fact, Tehran was accused by officials of plotting against Damascus on more than one occasion, and Iranian citizens were even banned from entering the country.
Still, an Iranian-Syrian rapprochement can’t be completely ruled out. Tehran continues to back the Hamas Movement, a Palestinian Sunni Islamists group with an ideology identical to that adopted by the new rulers of Damascus. The Islamic Republic has been also successful in relaunching relations with Saudi Arabia despite past disagreements.
On the other side, the Syrian government’s efforts to build an alliance with the West is yet to yield any results. Meanwhile, Damascus continues to face economic difficulties and the threat posed by Israel is still growing. Rebuilding relations with Tehran could help address some of these issues.
Such a move would however cause more Western pressure on Damascus. Thus any move in Iran’s direction will likely come only after Tehran make some progress in the ongoing nuclear talks with the United States.
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a british diplomatic source tells me that “president” al-jolani aka al-sharaa has assured the uk that syria will “normalise relations” with israel, recognise the state of israel and exchange ambassadors, by the end of 2026. this is part of a deal in exchange for substantial western financial support and the lifting of sanctions on syria.
never trust anyone queen mum
i asked whether the withdrawal of israeli occupation forces from syria was part of the deal, and surprisingly this was not raised by either side. the uk regards it as a bilateral matter between syria and israel, and al-jolani does not appear to prioritise israeli withdrawal.
typical of the type
i was also told that the european union’s external action service (eeas) and directorate general for international partnerships has decided that al-jolani’s syrian cabinet of ministers does meet the promises he gave to the eu pledging conference in brussels on 17 march, through “foreign minister” al-shibani, to form an inclusive government, specifically including alaouite and christian communities and also female ministers
opus dei goodness gracious 😍
the conference pledged 5.5 billion euros to syria in grants and loans, half of it from the eu itself. the condition of an inclusive government was stressed by the eu in its public statements
inclusive of expected soaring interest rates
subsequently on 27 march al-jolani announced his inclusive cabinet of 24 ministers. there are 21 male sunnis, including all the key posts – finance, interior, defence, foreign affairs. there is just one woman, who is also the token christian (and is canadian). there are three minority representatives, all in minor ministries – one christian, one alaouite, one druze. there is no shia representation. one of the sunni ministers is a kurd
a token canadian christian too common
i am sure when you look at this image, like the eu you immediately think “oh good, a diverse cabinet”.
that this is an “inclusive” government is a farce – only the most flimsy nod to tokenism detracts from the fact that it is a sunni regime with strong theocratic leanings. it was german foreign minister
tokenism is symbolic
annalena baerbock who made the most public song and dance in brussels about the need for an inclusive government, yet it is she as one of a triumvirate of women – along with eu commission president von der leyen and external affairs head kaja kallas – who has insisted that al-jolani’s cabinet is acceptable.
of course, al-jolani’s pro-israeli credentials trump every other consideration.
so they’re all members of the gang 🤔
this has caused much disquiet among staff at the eu external affairs service and there is enormous discontent at the blatant pro-israeli agenda of von der leyen in particular. the playing down of massacres of minorities in syria, on top of the genocide in gaza, is causing real concern both in the eu and within the uk at the foreign commonwealth and development office, my old department.
a final snippet from my source
typical since charles is king of israel and the bureaucrats aren’t loyal to the monarch since henry the 8th
al-jolani has the support of both mi6 and uk special forces within syria. a key part of their role is to guard against any potential revolt by his own militants who fought their way through from idlib.
chechen, uzbek and uighur militants are very happy for now with the spoils of victory, but may not take kindly to the notion of recognising israel.
to be clear, this next did not come from my diplomatic source. but i strongly suspect that the game is for al-jolani and his pro-zionist regime, installed with western backing, to strengthen its paid forces until the time comes for a night of the long knives, where al-jolani’s own most fanatical supporters will be eliminated. that however is merely my reading of his most practical next step. i do not see how he is to reconcile the roles of islamic fundamentalist and us/israeli puppet otherwis
it’s not about reconciliation , it’s about pretending to be imo
mollahs trying again….
oh yes! they’re coming to get us! even though us intelligence verified that they stopped all nuclear weapons programs 20 years ago now, somehow the child murderer needs another wag the dog october 7th to keep himself out of jail.