Syrian Foreign Minister Bassam al-Sabbagh flew to Iran this week, where he met with his Iranian counterpart, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi.
The meeting between the two men was reported in Iranian state media, but it did not initially provide many details except that they discussed “various issues.” After they met, Iran said it would continue its strong support for Damascus.
This is significant as Iran is a key backer of the Syrian regime. With a new US administration coming into office, the Islamic Republic and Syria may be considering what comes next. They also know that Russia could escalate against Ukraine in the coming months.
Russia is an important backer of the Syrian regime, and it recently sent a representative, along with Iran and Turkey, to Astana, Kazakhstan, to discuss Syria. There have been rumors over the past year that Turkey and the Syrian regime could normalize ties, and while this would please Moscow, it might not please Iran as much.
Al-Sabbagh is in Tehran for his first visit since taking up his post in September, Iranian media noted. Araghchi also recently took up his post, meaning the two men are both new in their roles. “The two foreign ministers discussed issues of mutual interest and key regional developments,” the report noted.
Araghchi emphasized that Iran and Syria would enhance cooperation and that they had a “very good and positive” discussion about the region, in which they discussed Gaza and Lebanon. Syria serves as a conduit for Iranian weapons trafficking to Hezbollah.
Strengthening Syrian ties amid regional tensions
There are also some tensions on the Golan border because Syria has been claiming Israel is conducting engineering and other work near the borderline.
Iran condemned Israel’s “warmongering” in the wake of the meeting.
“The Iranian foreign minister emphasized that Iran has demonstrated its strategy to the Zionist regime and to anyone who threatens the country, adding that Iran will not allow any aggression on its soil to go unanswered,” Iranian state media reported.
Iran is also preparing to face a new round of maximum pressure when the Trump administration comes into office, though Iran’s foreign minister said this pressure would not work.
The Syrian envoy said that Damascus opposes Israel’s “strikes on Palestine, Lebanon, Syria, and the Iranian diplomatic mission in Damascus.” The latter is a reference to an attack in April 2024, which Iran responded to by launching missiles and drones at Israel.
Iran is facing other issues at this time as well. It condemned the European Union and said it would oppose any EU or UK sanctions. Iran also appears concerned about Israeli moves in the region.
Iranian state media recently reported that “Israeli Minister of Strategic Affairs Ron Dermer has reportedly met with the UAE foreign minister during a recent secret visit to the Persian Gulf Arab country,” according to IRNA.
Araghchi also commented on how Iran’s preparations for war could lead to more peace. This odd comment illustrates how Iran may be stepping back from threatening to attack Israel. He is saying that one can bring peace by preparing for war. Peace through strength. He made the comments to IRGC commanders, Iranian media reported.
The Iranian meetings with the Syrian foreign minister also came as Ynet reported that “Israel proposed that some US sanctions should be lifted from Syrian President Bashar Assad in exchange for his involvement in preventing the flow of arms to Hezbollah across the Syrian border with Lebanon, the Lebanese daily Al Joumhouria reported on Tuesday.”
This is potentially a significant development, and Iran and Syria may be watching Israel-Russia ties closely. They also know Hamas members have moved to Turkey and may be wondering how Turkey will leverage that development with Washington. The region is clearly in play, and Iran wants to make sure that it shores up its position in Syria.
