‘Syrian people paid the price as Iran backed Hezbollah’: Experts debate Tehran’s role in West Asia crisis

At Raisina Dialogue’s ‘The Iran Factor: Crisis, Convergence, Competition’ session saw an intense discussion on how important a rapprochement between Iran and influential Arab states is for a lasting peace in West Asia

by Bhagyasree Sengupta

The outrageous October 7 attack by Hamas on Israel triggered a major crisis in West Asia with different countries looking for its role in conflict mediation or support. The toppling of the Syrian government led by Bashaar al Assad by rebel forces led by Ahmed Hussein al-Sharaa, now the interim president of the country, left many wondering if the country would be able to transition smoothly or if factional disputes within the rebel groups would push it back to chaos.

At the 10th edition of the Raisina Dialogue, experts monitoring the changes in West Asia gave their take on the overall situation. In the “The Iran Factor: Crisis, Convergence, Competition” session, the panel discussed how important a rapprochement between Iran and influential Arab states is for the success of a ceasefire in Gaza.

And how West Asia is tackling the influence of the United States and China on their regional issues.

The panel comprised Vahan Kostanyan, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Armenia; Seyed Mohammad-Kazem Sajjadpour, Distinguished Senior Fellow, Institute for Political and International Studies and Advisor to the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Iran; Manish Tewari, Member of Parliament, Lok Sabha; Hind Kabawat, Director, Interfaith Peacebuilding, George Mason University Center for World Religions, Diplomacy, & Conflict Resolution, United States of America;  and Maha Yahya, Director, Malcolm H. Kerr Carnegie Middle East Center, Lebanon.

The delegation discussed how Tehran has re-engaged the Arab world and sought new political and diplomatic ties within the region and with the Global South, it also touched upon the Dramatic changes that have unfolded in Syria and gave their takes on the US and Europe being back as key players in region’s fractious politics.

Iran before and after the October 7

When asked about Iran’s role in West Asia before and after the October 7 attack, Sajjadpour said that the “concept of the state of Iran is becoming weak”.  The adviser to the Iranian Minister of Foreign Affairs emphasised that Iran focuses on defending itself and the country is not dependent on any external source. Security.

He said that the current situation in West Asia in the context of Iran can be seen as “ABCs”.

• A - He emphasised that the “Analytical framework” of the current order should be revised.

• B - ‘Building hegemonic desires’ is an impossibility. “I think any global hegemony which neglects the realities of the region, including Europe, is doomed to failure. Any regional hegemony that ignores Iran is also doomed to failure,” Sajjadpour averred.

• C - Sajjadpour noted that the “Context of the region” is dynamic and in this context, we have a set of issues. He outlined two issues to understand the context. The first one is that the “Palestinian issue is not an artificial issue” and the second is the “imaging issue in which one cannot picture the entire region of West Asia as one single concept.

When it comes to Iran’s influence in the other West Asian nations, the panel discussed the fall of the Assad regime and how Iran lost an ally in Damascus. While commenting on the matter Kabawat recalled the devastation Syria has been witnessing since 2011.  “When you say Iran is not an object, Syrian people are not an object,” she remarked.

“But the reality is because of Hezbollah backed by Iran, the Syrian people paid a very expensive price,” she said.

Kabawat insisted that Iranians have been using Hezbollah as a “proxy” and its vision and ambition to have influence in the country might not be the course. Adding to what Kabawat noted Maha Yahya said that West Asia today is witnessing a “reconfiguration”.

“In terms of Iranian strategic influence, yes, that has been weakened. However, it still is a very important factor that one cannot ignore,” she said.

The other actors

Over the years Armenia has faced the effects of West Asian Crisis. While speaking on how the country operates in the region. Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Vahan Kostanyan, said that Armenia tends to “get trapped in geopolitical games”.

Kostanyan said that at the heart of Armenia’s policy is the country “doesn’t want to take a site in a Middle Eastern conflict, but also calls for peace and reconciliation in the region.”

While talking about India’s ties with both Iran and Israel, Lok Sabha MP Manish Tewari said that India is not picking sides as well. “We would want a peaceful, progressive & stable Middle East,” he said.

However, Tiwari noted that if India can play a role as a “facilitator, we are happy to do that.”

The panel spoke about international actors who are playing key roles in the region and what they can do to ensure peace. When it comes to China, Yahya said that China plays an important role in West Asia on the economic front it doesn’t “put the money where the mouth is on the political front.” Tiwari also cautioned about ties with China, saying “Chinese efforts come at a cost”.

Yahya noted that the European Union also plays a key role in conflict resolution in West Asia, pointing to the fact that how the body is dealing with Syria in the transitional phase. When asked if India can take an active role in the region. Tewari emphasised that “India has been a non-interventionist power,” but insisted that the country would be happy to play a “catalyst in the peace process”.

The Syria question

On the sidelines of the Raisina Dialogue, Kabawat spoke to Firstpost about the situation in Syria. Kabawat emphasised that these conferences are important so that Syria can start engaging in “open-day diplomacy”.

“We had been close for 14 years because of the dictatorship, so we were all hoping to have a new era, to have a good diplomatic relation with others,” she said.

Kabawat was part of the Syrian National Dialogue which was hosted by the country’s Interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa. When asked how Syria can be prevented from falling into the hands of the extremists again, Kabawat said that the erstwhile rebel group leader has taken several concrete steps.

“He introduced a temporary constitution and is trying to be as inclusive as they,” she said.

“He has started to surround himself with people who are not radical so that he can prove to the world that he is not”.

At the end of the discussion, the panel expressed hope that the situation in West Asia would improve.

“Hope for a diplomat is what courage is for soldier & water for fish,” Sajjadpour concluded.