TEHRAN, Iran — Following the evening prayer in a prominent mosque in southeast Tehran, one day after Eid al-Fitr — the day that marks the end of Ramadan — the prayer leader of the mosque begrudgingly agreed to speak to me about his opinion regarding Iran’s role in the bloody Syrian war.
“Look, I don’t know what you are after," said the cleric. "We are standing on one side, and on the other side there is Satan. First of all, from the beginning, the [Supreme] Leader stated that the Syrian conflict is a ‘diversion.’ He is the guardian of the Muslim world. Did you see how his prediction came true? These animals who say we want democracy, backed by America and Britain, are the same people that ate the heart [of a Syrian soldier]. Did you see that the [Supreme] Leader and the regime’s words were true? If you have eyes, you have seen it. We will do anything to defend the Syrian people against such animals.”
The words of this conservative cleric were uttered four days after Javan, a newspaper close to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), published a dramatic report about the killing of three IRGC members in Damascus. The report stated that the three individuals had left Iran voluntarily in order to defend the shrine of Zaynab bint Ali, the daughter of the first Shia Imam, Ali, and the granddaughter of the Prophet Muhammad. They were reportedly experts in military tanks. The three were killed in a missile strike on the evening of June 3.
The publication of the report two months after the actual date of their killing indicates that some forces would like to publicize Iran’s military presence in Syria. However, the removal of the news from Javan’s website also indicates that some within the system believe Iran’s military presence in Syria should not be formally acknowledged.
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