Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi says it’s too early to say what the future of Syria may look like, not in the least because of scathing critiques from Syria’s new Foreign Minister Asaad Hassan al-Shibani. In an interview shared on his Telegram channel, Araghchi said with a smile that Iran and outsiders should not speak about their victories in Syria for now.
Al-Shibani said, in a released statement, that “Iran is to respect sovereignty of Syria and the people’s will, warning of “everything which may be leading into further chaos,” while charging Iran with what may develop based on recent statements without specifically naming what he refers to.
Araghchi spoke against the backdrop of efforts by Iran to keep diplomatic channels open amid the decline of its longtime ally Bashar al-Assad. The Iranian response brought out a willingness to engage, contingent on Syria’s stance toward Israel.
The Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has been more outspoken, portraying the events in Syria as part of a vast U.S. and Israeli plot to destabilize the region, with the collaboration of neighboring Turkey. He bemoaned the dismal conditions facing the youth in Syria and called for resistance against those he viewed as responsible for the current insecurity.
He added that Iran invested seriously, financially and militarily, to support the Assad regime during the Syrian civil war, along with Russian forces. The Iranian leader referred to the debt incurred because of Syria’s support during the Iranian War with Iraq in the 1980s.
There have been reports that the new Syrian government may seek to sue Iran through international courts for compensation, with Iranian officials even labeling as exaggerated some reports of a significant debt owed by Syria to Iran. It was also said, however, that any outstanding debts would be transferred to the new Syrian rulers.
But now, with the new government in Syria consolidating its grip on power, there are agreements between rebel factions over unification under the so-called Defense Ministry appointed with a former commander. The US-backed Kurdish-led SDF is excluded from these arrangements.
Tensions are continually heightened as the old loyalists of al-Assad have come under scrutiny in this new governance that vowed to tackle past atrocities. There have been videos surfacing online, where armed groups vowed to confront the Alawite community to which the family al-Assad belongs, portending a potentially explosive situation in the region.
