Hassan Rouhani discusses Syria with Russia’s Vladimir Putin — but how much authority does Iranian President have?

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  • Claimed Video: Russian Military Alongside Pro-Assad Offensive in Southeast

Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Iranian counterpart Hassan Rouhani conferred by phone on Saturday over Syria’s conflict.

According to the Kremlin, Putin called Rouhani to offer congratulations on the Iranian President’s re-election last weekend. The two “paid special attention to trade and economic cooperation, including to implementation of major joint projects in the sectors of oil and gas and peace use of nuclear power”.

Conversation then turned to Syria. The Kremlin’s statement declared a discussion on the “importance of developing joint efforts to favor the political-diplomatic settlement of the conflict in that country, including in the framework of the Astana process and by means of implementing the memorandum on de-escalation zones”.

Beyond that template — the Kremlin used almost the exact same words for a Saturday phone conversation between Putin and Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan — is a series of questions. Despite signing the Russian-Turkish proposal for the four de-esclation zones in early May, Iran has been uneasy with the arrangements for a halt to attacks on opposition territory, such as Idlib Province and parts of Aleppo, Hama, and Latakia Provinces in northwest Syria.

Rouhani and his Foreign Ministry have also been secondary in Iran’s policy and operations in the Syrian conflict. The Supreme Leader has set the political line, while the Revolutionary Guards have been central in the military approach and links with the Assad regime.

Iran’s envoy on Syria, Ali Shamkhani, was in Moscow on Wednesday for a conference and discussions with Russian officials.

See Iran Daily: Rouhani Pursues Engagement with Pakistan and Turkey

TOP PHOTO: Vladimir Putin and Hassan Rouhani (File)

Claimed Video: Russian Military Alongside Pro-Assad Offensive in Southeast

Claimed footage of a Russian military police officer advising pro-Assad forces as they mount an offensive in Suweida Province in southeastern Syria:

The pro-Assad offensive has picked pace this week, taking more than 1,000 square km of desert as the Islamic State withdrew. The area stretches from central Syria, southeast of the city of Palmyra, to the southeast.

The offensive has fed the likelihood of battles with rebels, including Free Syrian Army units trained and supported by the US.

See Syria Daily, May 27: Pro-Assad Forces Advance as Islamic State Withdraws