Iran Is Losing Leverage in Syria
In the deal between Turkey and Russia, the Islamic Republic was the odd man out.
But where’s Iran’s Rouhani?
Photographer: Sergei Chirikov/AFP via Getty Images
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani can be forgiven for feeling a twinge of envy as Russian President Vladimir Putin and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan met in Sochi to work out a deal for a buffer zone in northeastern Syria. Was his invitation lost in the mail?
Only a few years ago, the Iranian president would have been expected to preside over the negotiations, and sign off on the agreement. The Islamic Republic has been involved in every important discussion bearing on Syria, whether directly or as the elephant in the room, since the start of the civil war. That Putin and Erdogan didn’t require Rouhani’s presence in Sochi, or even his endorsement, says much about Iran’s reduced leverage in the country where it has shed much blood, and spent much treasure.