Jul 19, 2018

Alexander Lavrentiev, President Vladimir Putin’s special envoy for Syria, traveled to Tehran July 18 to update the Iranians on the results of the much-publicized summit between the American and Russian presidents in Helsinki earlier in the week. Lavrentiev reportedly met for two hours with Saeed Irvanii, deputy for foreign policy and international security of the Supreme National Security Council.

One of the key topics of conversation between the two men was Syria, where — according to Lavrentiev — Russia and Iran will continue to cooperate. “There has been no pause in the determination and will of the Russian government in the continuation of mutual cooperation to fight terrorism, and this path will continue until the establishment of complete stability and security in Syria,” Lavrentiev said.

On the “victories of the Syrian army in southern Syria” and the support of Syria’s allies, Irvanii said, “The latest achievements are important steps in the success of the political process within the framework of the Astana and Sochi talks.” He added that the Islamic Republic would continue to support dialogue between the Syrian sides.

Irvanii also discussed Israel’s role in Syria, saying, “The level of cooperation and the positions of Russia and Iran show that the negative actions of the Zionist regime and their trickiness has no influence on the cooperation of the two countries.” He continued, “Iran and Russia will continue to fight terrorism within the framework of the existing coalition in supporting the Syrian armed forces.”

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has sought Russia’s help in keeping Iranian-backed forces out of southern Syria near the Israeli border. According to Saudi-owned media outlet Asharq al-Awsat, as a result of the Putin-Trump summit, Russia will ask Iran to pull heavy artillery to a distance of 80 kilometers (49 miles) from the Israeli border. Whether or not Iranian forces would keep a distance from the southern border, based on the interviews with Lavrentiev and Irvanii, it appears that Russia would continue to support Iran’s overall presence in Syria and not give in to Israeli or American pressure to have the Iranians exit Syria.