How Syria Might Benefit from the Iran War

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Damascus has suffered little blowback from the Iran War, and the blockade of the Persian Gulf may make Syria an alternative energy route.

Syria has been navigating the complex challenges of the Middle East, avoiding conflict, while positioning itself to benefit from the aftermath of the US and Israeli strikes on Iran. While most countries in the region have come under Iranian and Iranian-backed proxy attack since late February, Syria has largely remained outside the circle of fire. This isn’t because Syria and Iran enjoy warm ties. The current Syrian government is made up of Syrian rebels who came to power by ousting the Iranian-backed regime of Bashar al-Assad in December 2024. How has Syria remained at relative peace, and what does it stand to gain?

After the fall of Assad, Syria spent most of 2025 trying to establish a new government and solidify its control. Ahmed al-Shara, the transitional president of Syria, has worked tirelessly to get sanctions on Syria removed and also allay concerns in the United States and Europe about his extremist past. He has been largely successful in these efforts. However, many hurdles remain going into 2026. 

For example, clashes erupted between Damascus and the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in July 2025. The SDF, a mostly Kurdish-led group, agreed to integrate into the new Syrian security forces in January. This process was still ongoing when the United States and Israel began strikes on Iran at the end of February. Another hurdle for Syria has been relations with the Druze........

© The National Interest