Iran Nuclear Deal Opens Diplomatic Channels for Syria

“We will do everything in our power politically so that peace and stability return to Syria”, said Iranian President Hassan Rowhani during a meeting with Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Moallem.

Bogdanov said Russia’s supports measures taken by UN Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura, who has made a proposal for holding talks to end the crisis in the Arab country.

Russian Federation and Iran, the main backers of Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad, are stepping up their diplomatic efforts to resolve a conflict that’s killed nearly a quarter million people and left about 11 million as refugees or internally displaced.

In a similar vein, last week Iran sent a letter (.pdf) to the United Nations stating that “It is understood that reintroduction or reimposition, including through extension, of the sanctions and restrictive measures will constitute significant non-performance which would relieve Iran from its commitments in part or in whole”. Many nations involved in the Syrian crisis have suffered bombings or unrest or seen IS activities close enough to threaten the borders of their broader national security. Obama also stated the need to engage with other states like Iran and others invested in the Syrian issue, stressing that a diplomatic and political solution to the problem must be found without resorting to armed conflict.

Moscow has been trying to bring about rapprochement between the Syrian government and regional states including Saudi Arabia and Turkey to that end.

In spite of Nusra’s challenge, Turkey’s foreign minister Mevlut Cavusoglu has said Ankara and the US are making a joint effort to train and equip “moderate” fighters to battle IS “on the ground”. Russian Federation Today reported that the U.S. government blamed the Syrian president for “creating the kind of lawless area to the north”, which helped ISIS extend its roots.

“The window has opened a crack for us to get a political resolution in Syria, partly because both Russian Federation and Iran, I think, recognize that the trend lines are not good for Assad”, he said.

“Despite the military defeats, politically the Syrian regime has become more viable because of the lack of alternative, ” said Ayham Kamel, director of Middle East and North Africa with the Eurasia group in London.

The diplomat, who was visiting Beirut when Al-Monitor met him, said that in order for that to happen, “They have to feel the threat” from IS.

It was not immediately clear what the position of any such coalition would be vis-a-vis a U.S.-led grouping, which has been conducting air strikes against Islamic State in Syria and Iraq.

But he said the new leadership in Saudi Arabia since the death of King Abdullah is shaking up old assumptions.