Iran takes initiative in regional security

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif discussed an Iranian peace plan for Syria in visits last week to regional capitals, including Damascus, where he met with President Bashar al-Assad, and Beirut, where he met with Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah.

Ali Hashem writes that Zarif’s meetings have been focused on preparing a revised four-point plan for a political transition in Syria in the context of a new diplomatic opening to address regional security. Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian told Hashem that Omani Foreign Minister Yusuf Bin Alawi had proposed, and the emir of Qatar endorsed, a meeting between Iran and the states of the Gulf Cooperation Council, which may take place as soon as next month. The Wall Street Journal reported that Iran’s diplomatic flurry had already led to humanitarian truces between the Syrian government and Ahrar al-Sham opposition forces in suburbs around Damascus.

Zarif’s assertiveness in regional diplomacy appears linked to the agreement between Iran and the world powers on the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). Hashem observes that “with a deal in hand, Iran’s Middle East policy appears to be going through some changes.”