$100 billion Iran’s losses to preserve Assad’s regime: Israel Defense

QAMISHLI, Syria (North Press) – A report published by the Israel Defense website revealed that “preserving the Assad regime in Syria has cost the Iranian treasury about $100 billion.”

The website quoted an American researcher as saying that the Iranian regime will continue to impose its influence on Syria and the region as a whole.

“The new Iranian president sees Syria from an ideological and geopolitical point of view only, and so does the balance of power in the Middle East, and not from a humanitarian point of view,” Majid Rafizadeh the Irania-American researcher, said.  

Rafizadeh added that Syria, which is controlled by the Alawites, serves as an essential and crucial instrument in promoting and empowering this ideology, and in achieving its goals. Indeed, the Iranians are investing heavily in converting Syria to Shia.

He believed that no less important reason for Iranian control over Syria, is that Iran wants to gain a foothold in the Mediterranean.

Since taking office, Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, has not dealt with a significant change in Iran’s policy in Syria, according to Rafizadeh.

“This policy is actually implemented by the Revolutionary Guards (Quds Force) and the Khamenei’s command intelligence forces, which was reflected in the recent statement by General Rahim Safawi, one of the Supreme Leader’s senior military advisers, who said that Iran will continue to be present in Syria, and that the one who will have to leave is the US, which will have to withdraw its forces from there.”