Syria’s Sharaa blasts Iran’s 'destabilizing' role, moves closer to US, Gulf
The economic effects in the Gulf could impact the region’s investments in Syria as Damascus seeks to rebuild after years of its own war and to avoid getting dragged into the conflict.
Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa condemned Iran on Monday over the closure of the Strait of Hormuz and strikes on Gulf infrastructure, but stopped short of blaming the United States for the war — again highlighting a sharp departure from the country’s foreign policy under the Iran-aligned Assad regime.
Experts say the strategy is aimed at keeping Damascus from being drawn into the conflict while aligning it more closely with Arab Gulf states and Washington.
Randa Slim, the director of the Stimson Center's Middle East Program, said that Syria’s leadership "doesn't want to get into Washington’s crosshairs.”
During a virtual summit with Middle Eastern and European Union leaders on Monday, Sharaa called out "continuous Iranian attempts to destabilize Arab capitals and interfere in the core of Arab national security." He further condemned the closure of the Strait of Hormuz and strikes on Gulf energy infrastructure, saying these two actions “directly endanger global economic stability," the official news outlet SANA reported.
