Strategic Dimensions of Supporting Syria in Iran’s Foreign Policy (2011-2017)

Six years after the Syria crisis, this conflict has turned into an international human rights disaster. I.R.Iran, which has supported the Syrian government over these years, has been facing a lot of challenges. So the understanding and explaining of Syria's position and importance to foreign policy of the Islamic Republic of Iran has become very important. In this way, given the current realities and situations in the Middle East recently, the importance of the question in the present study is that "what is the real significance of Syria for the foreign policy of the Islamic Republic of Iran?In other words, why does the Islamic Republic of Iran consider the strategic importance for relations with Syria? Following this question, some argued that Syria has a strategic regional depth for the foreign policy of the Islamic Republic of Iran, and claim that Iran's alliance with Syria is a deterrent to regional threats, especially against Israel. On the contrary, the opponents of this claim consider Iran's unity with Syria in a region of extreme conditions and intense regional conflicts as an exciting factor in exacerbating the threats against the Islamic Republic of Iran and, ultimately, the instability in the whole region. The present study seeks to clarify this dichotomy and to examine the dimensions and implications of Iran's strategic alliance with Syria and Iran's support for the Syrian government in its recent crisis. Getting a comprehensive and complete answer to this question that “What is the real position of Syria in the foreign policy of the Islamic Republic of Iran? is one of the main goals of this research among all the various and completely contradictory views.