Relationship dossier
Iran
Syria
Relationship assessment
A close strategic alliance under Bashar al-Assad, with the future relationship uncertain after Syria’s political transition.
Iran toward Syria
+50Iran provided military, security and economic support to the Syrian government during the civil war, including assistance to government forces. The durability of this support relationship after the fall of Bashar al-Assad is uncertain.
Syria toward Iran
+50Under Bashar al-Assad, the Syrian government maintained a strategic alliance with Iran and cooperated on regional security. The policy of Syria’s post-Assad authorities toward Iran remains uncertain.
Overall relationship
+50The relationship was shaped by a durable strategic alliance under Bashar al-Assad, including Iranian support for the Syrian government during the civil war and Syrian cooperation with Iran on regional security. Assad’s fall in December 2024 altered the political basis of that partnership, leaving its future scope uncertain.
How to read these scores
Scores are rough judgments, not objective measurements or current verification. Directional scores describe government policy and conduct, not public opinion. The overall score is an independent estimate, never an average.
- −100
- Extreme sustained hostility
- −50
- Substantially adversarial
- 0
- Mixed or neutral, supported by knowledge
- +50
- Substantially cooperative
- +100
- Exceptionally close sustained partnership
“Not assessed” means there is no recorded score. Pair existence makes no claim about diplomatic recognition or established relations.
Relationship context
Overview
Under Bashar al-Assad, Iran and Syria maintained a close strategic partnership. Iran provided extensive military, security and economic support to the Syrian government during the civil war, while the Assad government cooperated with Iran on regional security and maintained the alliance. The fall of Assad’s government in December 2024 created a major change in Syria’s political leadership; the future direction and scope of bilateral ties are uncertain.
Key developments
Iran provided extensive military and security support to the Syrian government during the Syrian civil war.
Bashar al-Assad’s government fell, creating a major change in Syria’s political leadership and uncertainty over the future relationship with Iran.
Major uncertainties
- The scope of Iran’s ties with Syria’s post-Assad authorities is unclear.
- The extent to which security and economic arrangements made under Bashar al-Assad remain in force is uncertain.