Fall of Assad put an end to Iran’s plan to take control of Syria – report

Iran’s strategy, which was unveiled in hundreds of contracts, letters, and infrastructure plans, was intended to recoup expenses Iran had spent to support President Bashar al-Assad and satisfy Iran’s imperial ambitions.

By Vered Weiss, World Israel News

Iran’s plan to extend its influence in the Middle East by taking control of Syria was thwarted by Assad’s ouster, according to a Reuters report.

Program plans were discovered in Iran’s embassy in Damascus and were authored by an Iranian economic policy unit stationed in Syria.

Iran’s strategy, which was unveiled in hundreds of contracts, letters, and infrastructure plans, was intended to recoup expenses Iran had spent to support President Bashar al-Assad and satisfy Iran’s imperial ambitions.

One recovered document called the plan a “$400 billion opportunity.”

However, Iran’s ambitions were in disarray when rebels ousted Assad in a coup in December, causing the former president to flee to Russia for safety.

Iran sought to bypass sanctions to invest in Syrian religious sites, factories, and military installations.

It is estimated that the 40 projects detailed in the plans recovered at the embassy were just a small representative of Iran’s overall strategy.

It was also discovered that Syria’s outstanding debt to Iranian companies totaled $178 million.

According to the report, even before Assad’s ouster, Iran was facing challenges implementing its agenda due to roadblocks created by Syrian officials, competition from rivals such as Russia, and the challenge of getting around sanctions.

Furthermore, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) was heavily involved in efforts to illegally bypass sanctions by establishing unofficial lines of credit worth billions. However, these efforts also faced roadblocks due to Syrian bureaucratic hurdles and corruption.
The new regime has refused to honor many of Iran’s contacts drafted before the fall of Assad, and many projects relating to oil, phosphate mining, and mobile networks have been shelved.

The report demonstrates the fragility of Iran’s plans in the face of regime change and the extent of Iran’s losses due to the fall of Assad in Syria.