Iran avoids pointing fingers at Turkey and Qatar's role in Syria

Days after the attack launched by Islamist rebels in Syria, some of them supported by Turkey, Bashar al-Assad's regime is trying to regain lost territories with the help of its allies, especially Russia. 

The Islamic Republic of Iran, another major supporter of Damascus, has reiterated its support for the Al-Assad regime during the trip of its foreign minister to Syria a few days after the seizure of Aleppo by rebels led by the Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), linked in the past to al-Qaeda.  

Through diplomacy, Iran is also trying to enlist the support of Qatar and Turkey, both of which support anti-Assad militias. 

During the Syrian civil war, Doha has mainly supported anti-regime groups by providing financial, diplomatic and, in some cases, military support. However, Qatar's backing of opposition groups has caused controversy, as some of the militias have had links to more radical and Islamist factions, which has led to tensions with the West. 

Doha has also worked closely with Turkey to promote Assad's ouster. Like Qatar, Ankara has focused on backing the anti-Damascus Free Syrian Army (FSA) in order to topple the Syrian government, limit Iranian influence and limit the influence of the Kurds in the region. 

Despite being aware of Turkey and Qatar's interests, Tehran avoids directly accusing both countries of backing the Syrian opposition and instead blames Israel for the latest developments in Syria.  

Jerusalem, for its part, has expressed concern that Syrian rebels may have access to missiles, chemical weapons production and storage facilities such as sarin gas, tanks, armoured personnel carriers and aircraft at bases in and around the Aleppo area.  

In addition to arsenals, this area - formerly controlled by the regime - contains infrastructure for the production of weapons such as precision-guided missiles, some of which are produced for Hezbollah and pro-Iranian Shia militias. 

As it seeks to break its regional isolation, Tehran avoids directly accusing Qatar and Turkey of driving the opposition front in Syria. The Iranian regime has established strategic alliances with countries such as Qatar in order to strengthen diplomatic and security ties. Moreover, the Iranian regime benefits from the media support of the Qatari media, especially Al Jazeera, which plays a key role in pushing Tehran's narrative and promoting the agenda of the so-called ‘Axis of Resistance’ in the region. 

It is for this reason that, during his telephone conversation with Qatari emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, the Iranian president avoided making direct accusations or blaming Doha. Instead, as reported by the Iranian News Agency (IRNA), he merely noted that ‘the spread of chaos and terrorism in the region does not benefit any country’, adding that ‘all countries in the region should play a constructive role in confronting this evil phenomenon’. 

As for Turkey, its relationship with Iran in the context of the Syrian war has been based on a balance between competition and cooperation. Despite backing different actors in the conflict, bilateral relations between the two have remained unchanged in the war years.  

Indeed, during his visit to Ankara, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi did not call on Turkey to stop the attack or withdraw its support for armed groups, but urged consultations and close dialogue to ensure stability in Syria in order to preserve the gains made during the Astana process. 

Both Qatar and Turkey take advantage of the fact that Iran's room for manoeuvre on the ground has become very limited. This is due to several reasons: the impossibility of mobilising Iraqi militias into Syria due to Baghdad's restrictions, Hezbollah's inability to wage a new war after the dismantling of much of its leadership, and the effects of the fighting on its confrontation with Israel.