IRAN’S SECRET INVESTMENT IN SYRIA UNCOVERED: BILLIONS LOST AFTER DAMASCUS COLLAPSE

Sun 04 May 2025:

In a special report published on Thursday, May 1, 2025, Reuters unveiled confidential documents obtained from the Iranian regime’s embassy in Damascus. These documents expose the extent of Khamenei’s ambitious plans to rebuild Syria’s economy and turn the country into a regional hub for Tehran’s influence. The revelations highlight Tehran’s failed expansionist ambitions in Syria following the collapse of Bashar al-Assad’s regime.

Khamenei’s Lost Dreams in Syria

Since the outbreak of Syria’s civil war in 2011, the Iranian regime has been one of Bashar al-Assad’s main supporters. Iran played a crucial role in preserving Assad’s rule by providing logistical, financial, and military support, including the deployment of Quds Force operatives and allied Shia militias. These efforts were part of Tehran’s broader strategy to maintain its regional influence, secure supply routes for Hezbollah in Lebanon, and confront regional rivals like Israel and Arab states.

Throughout the conflict, Khamenei’s regime poured billions of dollars into Syria, funding infrastructure projects, reconstruction efforts, and establishing economic networks intended to solidify Iran’s political and economic presence. Abbas Akbari, appointed in 2012 to lead the Iran-Syria Economic Development Office, played a key role in advancing these initiatives. According to the leaked documents, he modeled Iran’s reconstruction plans after the U.S. Marshall Plan for post-WWII Europe.

However, these ambitions faced numerous setbacks. Rampant corruption, poor management, opposition resistance within Syria, and mounting international sanctions hindered the full implementation of Tehran’s plans. In December 2024, the rapid advance of opposition forces and the fall of Damascus led to the collapse of Assad’s regime. The Iranian embassy in Damascus was looted, and the remaining documents, discovered by opposition groups and media outlets, unveiled the regime’s failed grand strategy.

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The Iranian Embassy and Growing Tensions

The Iranian embassy in Damascus had already drawn international attention in recent years. In April 2024, an airstrike—attributed to Israel—targeted the Iranian consulate building in Damascus, killing seven senior Quds Force members, including Brigadier General Mohammad Reza Zahedi. While the attack was widely condemned, Israel claimed the facility was a covert military base used by the Quds Force.

Billions Wasted After Assad’s Fall

According to the Reuters report, a 33-page document drafted in May 2022 by the political-economic section of Iran’s embassy in Damascus outlines Tehran’s expansive vision to rebuild Syria and create an “economic empire.” The document, retrieved after the embassy was ransacked in December 2024, details multi-billion-dollar investments in Syria’s infrastructure, agriculture, and industrial sectors. The plan aimed to strengthen Iran’s geopolitical standing and recoup the massive costs incurred from backing Assad.

The document highlights potential economic opportunities worth up to $400 billion in Syria and suggests that Iran intends to deepen its control over Assad’s government through reconstruction efforts. However, the swift collapse of Assad’s regime, the hasty withdrawal of Iranian diplomats and militias, and the plundering of the Iranian embassy crushed these aspirations. The scattered, torn documents found in the embassy also shed light on Iranian investors’ challenges, including endemic corruption and systemic inefficiency.

Further reports indicate that other sensitive documents, including intelligence folders, were discovered inside the embassy by an Israeli journalist from Channel 12. These files reportedly detail Iran’s covert operations in Syria, including surveillance of dissidents and coordination with proxy militias.

Conclusion

The leaked documents from Iran’s embassy in Damascus lay bare the Khamenei regime’s failed efforts to transform Syria into an economic and political stronghold. Inspired by the Marshall Plan, these strategies faltered under internal corruption, mismanagement, and the unexpected fall of Assad. The collapse rendered Iran’s financial and human sacrifices futile and highlighted the risks associated with Tehran’s regional interventions.

To prevent the repetition of such costly and destabilizing ambitions, the international community must strengthen oversight of Iran’s cross-border activities and support stability in conflict-affected nations like Syria. Doing so would benefit not only the people of Syria but also contribute to reducing regional tensions and preserving global peace.

SOURCE: INDEPENDENT PRESS AND NEWS AGENCIES

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