Reopening of Iran’s Embassy in Syria on Agenda

In comments at a press conference on Tuesday, Esmaeil Baqaei said Iran has put plans to reopen its embassy in Damascus on the agenda. The spokesman said he would not use the term “forthcoming” for the resumption of the activities of Iran’s embassy in Syria, saying it requires a series of arrangements to ensure the security of the diplomats and staffers. “If the conditions are set, we will do that”, he said.

Iran closed its embassy in Damascus after it was stormed by armed militants last week following the fall of the government of Bashar al-Assad. The spokesman explained that Iran’s presence in Syria during the tenure of Assad was based on certain principles while the withdrawal of the Iranian forces was also a responsible move. Iran was not seeking to expand its boundaries or revive the past empires by acting in Syria, Baqaei added, noting that Iran was only trying to assist Syria in protecting the security of its people against terrorism.



“We were not in Syria to support a specific person or group. What mattered to us to the very last moments (before the fall of Assad) was to help maintain Syria’s territorial integrity. We believe that the security of regional countries will guarantee security in West Asia,” he added.

On December 15, the Iranian ambassador to Damascus received a series of recommendations from Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi to protect Iran’s national interests and push for Syria’s territorial integrity. The collapse of the Assad government’s army has left three major groups in control of Syria. While most Syrians are calling for unity, bringing together these groups and their interests will be a key challenge in the days ahead.

The main groups that control Syria are Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), Syrian Democratic Forces, and the Turkish and Turkish-aligned Syrian rebel forces. One of the top challenges the new Syrian administration will have to tackle is the economy. Syria was already in bad shape before the start of the civil war, but throughout the conflict, the country’s economic crisis further deepened.

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