<p dir="ltr" style="text-align: justify;"></p> <p dir="ltr" style="text-align: justify;">Continuing the "Syria at a Crossroads" panel at the Tehran Dialogue Forum (2025), Rauf Sheibani, a diplomat and the Foreign Minister's Special Assistant for West Asian Affairs, analyzed Iran-Syria relations.</p> <p dir="ltr" style="text-align: justify;">Emphasizing the Islamic Republic's "deep and extensive" approach towards Syria, he noted: "Syria today faces multiple political, security, and economic challenges, but the most significant of these is the issue of occupation."</p> <p dir="ltr" style="text-align: justify;">Elaborating on this point, Sheibani added: "A part of this country's territory is occupied by the Israeli regime, and other parts by the United States and Turkey. Meanwhile, the ultimate goal of the Zionist regime extends beyond the division of Syria, Lebanon, and Iraq, and is aligned with achieving the fated dream of 'from the Nile to the Euphrates'."</p> <p dir="ltr" style="text-align: justify;">The advisor to the Foreign Minister summarized Iran's main concerns in the post-occupation era of Syria into two key areas.</p> <p dir="ltr" style="text-align: justify;">He said: "First is the danger of internal instability and the outbreak of sectarian war, which could provide fertile ground for the resurgence of terrorism. Another significant concern is the issue of the rights of various minorities and religions, including the Druze, Kurds, Turkmen, Alawites, and Sunnis, the neglect of which has always fueled conflict in Syria."</p> <p dir="ltr" style="text-align: justify;">He concluded by emphasizing: "If the government established in Syria does not pay serious attention to these rights, this will most certainly cause deep concern for Iran."</p> <p dir="ltr" style="text-align: justify;">Sheibani regarded Syria's stability and peace as a cause for peace in the region and for Iran, stating: "Preserving Syria's territorial integrity is extremely important for the country's stability. The division and fragmentation of Syria is a goal that the Israeli regime has always pursued. We are seriously monitoring the political stability and participation of parties, ethnic groups, religions, and various strata of the Syrian people, and we attach special importance to it. Therefore, we will strive for the unity and solidarity of the Syrian people."</p> <p dir="ltr" style="text-align: justify;">He explained Tehran's position on foreign interference in Syria, continuing: "The Islamic Republic of Iran opposes any foreign interference in Syria and believes that the Syrians themselves must move towards political, ethnic, and religious unity and solidarity through dialogue and political consultation among themselves, not through foreign and extra-regional interventions. On the other hand, the laws enacted in the new government of Ahmad al-Sharaa are being imposed by foreign powers, and the rejection of this interference is completely evident. Therefore, the more the Syrians themselves are involved in determining their own laws, the more they can take an important and positive step towards unity and peaceful coexistence in the future."</p> <p dir="ltr" style="text-align: justify;"> </p>