TEHRAN, Iran — Until the afternoon of Aug. 28, there had been no clear Iranian position on the possibility of a military strike on Syria. According to an Al-Monitor source in Tehran, the Iranians were, of course, assessing the situation, weighing their options and preparing their files in accordance with the latest developments. Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran's supreme leader, was said to have had all the plans on the table when he met at an undisclosed time with top Revolutionary Guard Corps officers and his closest military advisers. The source acknowledged, “There is a hot line to Hezbollah’s leadership in Lebanon and the Syrians,“ stressing that the “resistance bloc“ has been expecting this moment since the beginning of the crisis in 2011.
The first move by the Iranians was toward their most powerful allies, the Chinese and the Russians, sending a clear message to both countries on Aug. 26: “Iran will stand by Syria till the end. We’ll stand by our alliance even if you decide to give up. We are with Syria until the last breath.” That message was followed by several other steps, including talking directly with countries able to convey messages to the United States and the United Kingdom.