The Iranian Role in Syria

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  "authors": [
    "Karim Sadjadpour"
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  "centers": [
    "Carnegie Endowment for International Peace",
    "Malcolm H. Kerr Carnegie Middle East Center"
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  "collections": [
    "Arab Awakening"
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  "primaryCenter": "Carnegie Endowment for International Peace",
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  "regions": [
    "Middle East",
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In The Media

The Iranian Role in Syria

Syria is too important as an Iranian ally for Tehran to engage in a political transition process that would result in the ousting of the Assad regime.

By Karim Sadjadpour

Published on Aug 7, 2012

Source: BBC

Speaking on the BBC, Carnegie's Karim Sadjadpour discussed Iran's role in the increasingly sectarian civil war in Syria. For Iran, Syria is its last remaining consistent ally in the international community, Sadjadpour. Thus, for Iran “the results of the Syrian conflict are a zero sum game; they stand to lose in a major way if the Assad regime falls,” he explained. Iran carries significant influence in Syria because of its financial support, its provisions of subsidized oil and arms, and the tactics and strategy it provides. Clearly, Sadjadpour added, the Iranian regime has shared its philosophy of never compromising with a domestic uprising with the Assad regime. Ultimately, the Iranians will continue to “publically call for reform and reconciliation while privately arming the Assad regime,” concluded Sadjadpour. The loss of a firm ally would be too devastating for the Iranian regime for it to plausibly engage in an international effort aimed at a political transition that would remove the Assad regime.

About the Author

Karim Sadjadpour

Senior Fellow, Middle East Program

Karim Sadjadpour is a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, where he focuses on Iran and U.S. foreign policy toward the Middle East.

Recent Work

Q&A
What’s Keeping the Iranian Regime in Power—for Now
- Aaron David Miller, Karim Sadjadpour, Robin Wright
Q&A
How Washington and Tehran Are Assessing Their Next Steps
- Aaron David Miller, David Petraeus, Karim Sadjadpour

Political Reform Middle East Iran Syria Levant

Carnegie does not take institutional positions on public policy issues; the views represented herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of Carnegie, its staff, or its trustees.

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