Geopolitics
Why Iran May Have Decided to Alienate the Assad Regime
A Geopolitical Perspective
For decades, Iran and Syria have been seen as two unfriendly Middle Eastern outposts that have long made up the region’s alliance of sorts, parting to their mutual indecision over Israel and in opposition to Western influence. But over recent years, those have become subtle, but significant, strains between Damascus and Tehran. Before the fall of the Assad regime, the alliance was formally intact but there were signs of Iran tentatively softening its ties with Bashar al-Assad’s regime. Below are five reasons why Iran may have evaded the compassionate net of its once faithful ally.
Diverging Strategic Objectives in the Post-War Landscape
For Assad, during the Syrian Civil War, Iran was a critical lifeline of military support (Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, IRGC); financing militias; and enabling Hezbollah to act as a proxy force. Propping up Assad served Tehran’s interests on two fronts: as a means to preserve a vital ally in the Axis of Resistance, including Shiite Iran’s main ally in Lebanon, Hezbollah; and as a means to preserve access via Iran’s land corridor to Lebanon; and to contain Saudi and Western influence.
