French Foreign Minister's Visit to Iran and Russia for Talks on Syria

Jean-Yves Le Drian, the French Foreign Minister, stated on Tuesday, February 19, that he will travel to Iran and Russia in the coming days to discuss the situation in Syria. According to Reuters, Le Drian told lawmakers that if no action is taken, we will face a 'humanitarian disaster in Syria.' Reports indicate that in the past two days, the bombing of Eastern Ghouta near Damascus has left at least 250 dead. The United Nations also reports that five hospitals in the area have been attacked. According to TASS, the French Foreign Minister emphasized in the parliament that, following the directive of Emmanuel Macron, the President of France, he will travel to Moscow and Tehran because urgent negotiations regarding the situation in Syria are necessary. Le Drian stated that France believes the UN Security Council has the capacity to create a pause in hostilities to allow humanitarian aid to be sent to besieged areas. He added that this is what the Security Council is currently working on. Diplomatic efforts to end the seven-year war in Syria have so far yielded no tangible results, and the country continues to witness conflict and violence. Russia and Iran are considered the two main allies of Bashar al-Assad's government. Russia has been intervening in the Syrian civil war in favor of the government since 2015. The Iranian government has also provided financial and military support to Bashar al-Assad's regime since the onset of unrest in Syria. The United States and several Arab countries in the region accuse Iran of not only providing financial and military assistance to the Syrian government but also organizing Shiite militants from countries like Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Iraq to support Bashar al-Assad. Previously, Le Drian was also supposed to visit Tehran to prepare for Emmanuel Macron's trip to Iran, but widespread protests in various cities in Iran caused the French Foreign Minister's trip to Tehran to be postponed. The French Foreign Minister had previously expressed hope that in meetings with Iranian officials, he would discuss Iran's 'destabilizing' military actions in the Middle East, including support for Hezbollah in Lebanon and Shiite Houthi militants in Yemen. In this context, the President of France has called for 'international oversight' of Iran's missile program. The French Foreign Minister is going to Iran to discuss regional issues and the JCPOA. There was a phone conversation between Trump and Macron regarding the 'JCPOA' and 'Iran's destabilizing actions in the region.' Macron has called for restraint from Iran in dealing with protesters. Emmanuel Macron stated that actions destabilizing Iran in the Middle East must be countered.