Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian has expressed his country's readiness for cooperation with Russia in assisting the Syrian government to combat "terrorist groups".
During a telephone conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Pezeshkian warned that the resurgence of "terrorist" activity in Syria jeopardizes the country's sovereignty and territorial integrity while posing a broader threat to regional stability, the Iranian president’s official website reported on December 2.
He accused Israel and its allies of instigating the renewed instability, saying that "we believe that recent events are part of a dangerous plan by America and the Zionist regime to disrupt the region's political geography in favor of the Zionists. However, this plan will fail due to the unity and cooperation of regional countries".
Pezeshkian praised Russia's role in preserving regional peace and stability while supporting Syria's territorial integrity, and voiced Tehran's readiness "for any cooperation with Russia along this path".
In his turn, President Putin stated that "we believe that the forces shaping the developments in northern Syria are not the terrorists themselves but their sponsors and supporters. Under these circumstances, Russia is committed in cooperating with Iran to assist the legitimate Syrian government in countering terrorist groups."
He also announced plans to propose an emergency meeting of the Astana peace process this week to evaluate the ongoing crisis, alongside consultations with the United Nations Security Council.
The Astana Process, a trilateral initiative spearheaded by Russia, Türkiye, and Iran, is designed to bring an end to the Syrian civil war and establish a framework for a negotiated settlement. Kazakhstan has hosted multiple rounds of the talks since 2017.
Regarding the excellent bilateral relations between Iran and Russia, Putin said that "currently, our agenda for advancing the relations between the two countries to higher levels includes the comprehensive cooperation agreement between Tehran and Moscow, for which we are planning a signing ceremony. Additionally, the upcoming announcement of Iran's observer membership in the [Russian-led] Eurasian Economic Union at the next meeting of the union will be another step toward expanding our cooperation."
Tehran and Moscow previously established a 20-year strategic agreement in 2001, which encompassed collaboration in industry, technology, security, energy, and nuclear power development. This agreement was automatically extended for five years in 2020, with both nations agreeing to draft a new long-term strategic accord.
On December 2, Pezeshkian stressed his country's readiness to help Syria overcome the current rebel offensive, in a phone call with his Syrian counterpart Bashar al-Assad.
"We believe that Syria will once again defeat the Zionist conspiracies against its security and stability, and we too stand alongside the Syrian government and people on this path," the Iranian president underlined.
In response, Assad hailed Iran's past and present support for the Syrian government and described the Axis of Resistance (the regional network of Iran's allies and proxies) as an alliance "against the domination of the West over our region", and said if the Axis were damaged, it would have broader consequences for other regional countries.
On November 27, a coalition of rebel groups in northern Syria, led by the Idlib-based militant Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), launched a wide-scale offensive called "Operation Repelling the Aggression" against government forces in Aleppo, with the aim of "liberating territory".
The offensive has resulted in the rebels seizing control of most of Syria's second-largest city of Aleppo. In recent days, the rebels advanced towards the city of Hama, further south on the main road towards Damascus.
The Iranian media outlets suggest the US, and Israel, as well as Türkiye could be behind the Syrian developments, as Ankara-backed groups are active in northern Syria. Meanwhile, Ankara has been trying to achieve the return of the millions of Syrian refugees from Türkiye to their homeland, but it has a difficult relationship with HTS.
Iranian authorities have recently dismissed reports suggesting that Tehran had decided to reduce its personnel in Syria and that Iranian militia commanders were leaving positions in the country’s south and east. Similarly, Moscow denied claims that Iran was using Russia’s Hmeimim airbase in Syria to transport arms to Hezbollah in Lebanon.
Iran and Syria have maintained strong military and security ties, which have deepened since the 2010s. Iranian forces operating in Syria since the start of the civil war have frequently been targeted by Israeli strikes. In July 2020, Iran and Syria signed a comprehensive agreement to enhance military and defense cooperation.
Tehran has also sought to integrate its proxies into the Syrian army, aiming to secure long-term influence in Syria’s military and security structures. However, Iran denies maintaining a military presence in Syria, referring to its troops as “military advisers.”
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