Neither Iran nor Russia seek to establish anything remotely close to democracy in Syria - but political reform matters less to Iran. Opinion | MaysamBehravesh
The statement echoes growing discontent among ordinary Iranians with the way the government sets its budgetary priorities and distributes scarce resources at a time whenThis was not, however, the first time official statements about Iran’s considerable expenditure in Syria since the outbreak of civil war in 2011 drew media attention.
In February 2018, Yahya Rahim Safavi, former commander-in-chief of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps and current military advisor to the Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, highlighted Moscow’s efforts to secure military, political and economic concessions in Syria, and“I think Iran, too, can have long-term political and economic contracts with the Syrian regime and return the costs it has incurred in Syria,” SafaviHe added that Damascus was willing to repay Tehran’s debt...
While Moscow is particularly interested in restoring a semblance of stability and functionality — so that it can get post-conflict reconstruction off the ground and lead the initiative — Iran’s primary objective is military as well as ideological entrenchment, so that it can build an additional layer of forward defence and deterrence in its regional security structure.
Accordingly, while neither Iran nor Russia seek to establish anything remotely close to democracy in Syria or an alternative to Bashar al Assad and his Alawite-centered rule, it is easier for Damascus to accommodate Tehran’s demands — as it more or less consistently has so far — than to give in to political reconciliation by opening up to the opposition and reforming the constitution, as Moscow demands.
This is the main strategic dynamic behind the divergence of interests between the Islamic Republic and the Russian Federation in Syria, so much so that even Hassan Nasrallah, leader of Iran’s top unconventional ally in the region, hasIt is also arguably part of the reason why Turkey finds it more convenient to work with Russia than with the Islamic Republic in the context of the Syrian civil war.
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