11 Dec 2021; MEMO: Iran's Vice President for parliamentary affairs, Mohammad Hosseini, has announced that Iran is ready to help reconstruct Syria, following a decade of the ongoing conflict in which Tehran was involved
In a meeting with the Syrian ambassador to Iran Shafiq Dayoub today, Hosseini stated that the Iranian government under the new president Ebrahim Raisi "gives a great priority to broaden ties with neighbouring countries and the region, especially Syria," which he referred to as an ally and strategic partner.
He added that Tehran will "spare no effort" to continue assisting the Syrian regime of Bashar al-Assad and to protect its territorial integrity against the Syrian opposition and foreign states, including in helping in the reconstruction of the parts of the country under Assad's rule.
Hosseini also reiterated Iran's call for US forces to withdraw from Syria and Iraq – where they continue to have a military presence and influence – just "as they were forced to leave Afghanistan after 20 years. They are still stealing Syria's oil and surprisingly the world does not condemn this US's behaviour."
Dayoub's visit to Tehran and Hosseini's assurance of support comes almost a month after Iranian and Russian diplomats met to also discuss cooperation on the reconstruction of Syria.
Over the course of the civil war in Syria, both Russia and Iran have supported and militarily assisted the Assad regime. Many have predicted that as Damascus has largely recaptured much of its former territory, Moscow and Tehran are set to compete for the majority of the share in reconstructing Syria, in order to gain the deals and influence.
The past few years, however, have seen cracks emerging in the relationship between Assad's government and Iran. A month ago, Assad was reported to have shunned and demanded the removal of the main Iranian general in Syria, proving to many that the regime is growing ever more suspicious of Tehran's role and influence in the country.
