Syrian President Bashar al-Assad fell over himself praising the agreement with Iran, which he called a “glorious victory.”
He wrote Iranian President Hassan Rouhani:
I am happy that the Islamic Republic of Iran has achieved a great victory by reaching an agreement. In the name of the Syrian people, I congratulate you and the people of Iran on this historic achievement.
The agreement will lift sanctions and pour tens of billions of dollars into the Iranian treasury, which has invested billions in weapons and Hezbollah’s presence in Syria to save Assad’s neck.
Assad added, “We are confident the Islamic Republic will continue to back and with more vigor the just causes of all people,” he said.
Syria opposition leader Ahmed Ramadan told The Wall Street Journal:
Iran’s hands are dripping with the blood of Syrians. It will have to do a lot to wash this away.”
New money for Iran is not going to wash anything away, but it will make Syria, whatever is left of it, even redder