Tehran eyes influence in Syria with plans to reopen Damascus embassy - analysis
The Iranian decision shows that it wants to jockey for a role in Syria again.
Iran wants to reopen its embassy in Damascus. This follows Turkey, Qatar, and other countries rushing to open diplomatic posts in Damascus and work with the new government there.“Iran’s Ambassador to Syria, Hossein Akbari, has informed that the Embassy of the Islamic Republic, which was closed as a result of the recent events in the Arab country, would soon resume its works in Damascus,” Iranian state media reported on December 16.The Iranian decision is important, showing it wants to jockey for a role in Syria again, after feelings that it might have its wings clipped there. Iran has used Syria to move weapons to Hezbollah. “Our goal is to resume the activities of the embassy as soon as possible. These people [groups in control of Syria] have expressed their readiness to provide the necessary guarantees for the security of the embassy and its related activities,” Akbari announced on Sunday.
Iran says staff moved to Beirut
Iran says it moved its staff to Beirut when the regime fell on December 8. It now wants to bring them back. “No one expected these developments to occur at such face and in a very short period,” Akbari said.Iran abandoned Bashar al-Assad’s regime in the days before its fall, as did Russia. It appears this was coordinated, and Iran felt that no matter what it did, Assad would not survive. Nevertheless, Assad fled faster than many thought, not even informing close colleagues or some members of his family.
The Iranian diplomat provided some insights into how the regime fell. He said the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) offensive began near Aleppo and was supposed to be limited.“Interestingly, the armed actions began from a point completely far from Aleppo, with their objectives being only to deal a blow to the Syrian army but these people [armed groups] were encouraged finding a lack of resistance from the military.” Once Aleppo fell, a domino effect began.Iran is optimistic about Syria. This is part of its messaging and how it wants to work with the regime in Damascus.“The Iranian ambassador rejected the notion that Syria would likely become next Libya, arguing that the two countries have different geographical conditions and regional scenarios,” the report in IRNA said. “Syria will not become like Libya, but it will face some challenges similar to those of Libya.”The Iranian ambassador warned about the role of foreign powers. This is ironic since Iran is one of the main foreign powers that hollowed out and weakened Syria to use it as a base of attacks against Israel. Now, Iran is condemning Israeli strikes on former regime military sites in Syria. “Israel does not want to see a strong government in Syria,” he said.
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