Iran and the Syrian Crisis

Abstract

At a time when the Syrian crisis is still continuing because of the two interventions: regional and international, which have further complicated the crisis between the conflicting parties, Iran has been providing political, economic, and military support to the Syrian side, along with Russian support and some Iraqi parties; and it is therefore possible to ask the following questions: Will Iranian support push for a formula to resolve the Syrian crisis and preserve the legitimacy of President Bashar al-Assad’s regime? In fact, Iranian policy towards Syria is likely to involve very complex problems: It is possible to move to the top of the West’s priorities and, moreover, it is difficult to envisage Tehran’s waiver of here support for Assad, especially since the Syrian file is not fully under the control of the president. That dilemma may hamper President Hassan Rowhani’s efforts to advance in nuclear negotiations and in the same time reinforce the position of the Iranian hardcore.