What Prompted Bashar Assad's Visit to Tehran?

An analyst of international affairs in Iran believes: “Bashar al-Assad visited Tehran to thank Iran for its supportive role in the 8-year Syrian crisis and underline its presence in the Syrian reconstruction.”

Syrian President, Bashar al-Assad, paid a surprise visit to Tehran yesterday and met with the Supreme Leader and Iranian President. Israeli PM Netanyahu is also planning a visit to Moscow on Wednesday to meet with Putin and discuss Iranian presence in Syria.

Is there a link between Assad’s visit to Tehran and Netanyahu’s trip to Moscow?

Hassan Beheshtipour, international affairs analyst in Tehran, told Persia Digest (PD): “Netanyahu has made over ten trips to Russia since he came to power in Israel. The main subject of all his trips has been Iran. This time, he will once again try to convince Putin to place more pressure on Iran.”

He continued: “Parliamentary elections in Israel are also upcoming and Netanyahu is trying to use this trip to gain votes. He intends to show that he has close relations with Russia same as with the US. He wants to portray himself as an active political figure overseas at a time when he is being investigated in a pending case at home for mismanagement.”

The analyst pointed to the link between Bashar al-Assad’s trip to Iran on the threshold of Netanyahu’s visit with Putin, saying: “These can be linked together while there is no real link between them. The Syrian President traveled to Iran within the framework of cooperation between the two countries and met with officials at the highest level. As pointed out by Assad himself, he came to thank Iran for its support during the Syrian crisis (2011-2019) which helped the elected government in Damascus to stay in power.”

Beheshtipour reiterated: “Assad’s trip to Tehran took place after a visit by the IR of Iran’s First VP to Damascus leading a delegation from the private sector to emphasize Iran’s role in the Syrian reconstruction. Iran’s presence in the Syrian reconstruction, especially the private sector, is mutually beneficial.”

Source: Persia Digest