Iran Deal Ripples Felt From Syria War Zones to Saudi Palaces

By Donna Abu-Nasr and Glen Carey - Nov 27, 2013

After news of the Iranian nuclear deal emerged, Syria quickly welcomed it as a triumph for its ally Iran and a setback for opponents led by Saudi Arabia.

Information Minister Omran al-Zoubi, whose government is backed by Iran in a civil war with rebels funded by Saudi Arabia, said that the pact marked a victory for diplomacy over “threats, ultimatums, challenges and wars.” Hours after world powers and Iran shook hands on a pre-dawn agreement on Nov. 24, Syria’s Foreign Ministry hailed “Iran’s role in the stability and security of the region.”

President Bashar al-Assad spoke to his Iranian counterpart, Hassan Rouhani, today and told him that the accord will strengthen Iran’s regional and international position, according to Syria’s state news agency SANA.

The agreement follows the U.S. decision two months earlier to pull back from using force against Assad, angering its Gulf allies. With Saudi Arabia pledging to respond by broadening its support for rebels, and Iran now freed from some of the pressure of sanctions, there’s concern the rivals may step up their proxy war in Syria where fighting has already killed more than 100,000 people in 2 1/2 years.

“Up to now Iran was perceived as a spoiler,” said Sami Nader, a professor of international relations at Beirut’s St. Joseph University. “Now it will have to choose between acting as a partner, which means a less aggressive role in the Middle East, or it could decide it can have a free hand in Syria in exchange for compromising on its nuclear program.”

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http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-11-26/iran-deal-ripples-felt-from-syria-battlefields-to-saudi-palaces.html