The Syrian dilemma and “How does Iran see the picture in the region?”

The conflict in Syria has caused hundreds of thousands of lives and it is still not solved despite all the efforts from concerned parties, Turkey, Russia and Iran to be in the first place. It is clear how Turkey sees the issue and has taken action against the threat imposed by the Kurdish formation in northern Syria.

Russia has been playing the “BIG” brother role with success, all along. But “How does Iran actually approach the issue?” is the question which has found a clear answer at the summit held in Ankara among the leaders of the three countries.

Regarding the issue Mr. Rouhani, Iran’s President has made a very clear statement. At the joint press conference held after the summit Rouhani said “The map of our territory should not change, at all”.

President Rouhani also added that Americans and Israelis had not been successful to sabotage the cooperation among Turkey, Russia and Iran and those two countries wanted to overthrow the Damascus government and create insecurity. He said countries watched for their own benefits but had not succeeded and emphasized that the map of the region should not change in any way.

Rouhani shared that they wanted to see that the security of Syria and the region was provided in the near future and that the priority of the three countries was to provide peace and security.

Rouhani also commented on the news the US was to leave Syria soon and said “The US is saying something every day, and we can neither rely on the words nor the promises of the current American government. US President Trump wanted money from Arab countries to stay in Syria. This means, they will stay in Syria and they will get the money they want from Arab countries too”.

Our evaluation is that Iran has been playing the cards exactly as they should be played which reminds us of the political skills this country has always demonstrated in conflicts in the region throughout history as well as the conflicts with the USA, recently. Moreover, it has gained more power in terms of political reputation the way it has managed the crisis – to comply with its concerned benefits in the region, certainly.