Kerry: Iran Has Withdrawn a Significant Number of Revolutionary Guard Forces from Syria

On Thursday, March 6, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry stated that Iran has withdrawn a "considerable number" of Revolutionary Guard forces from the battlefronts in the Syrian civil war. He also urged the U.S. Congress not to rush into extending sanctions against Iran. Iran, along with Russia, is one of the main supporters of Bashar al-Assad's regime in Syria and has sent several commanders and Revolutionary Guard forces as "military advisors" to the Syrian army to command volunteer Shiite units dispatched from Iran, Iraq, and Afghanistan. Additionally, the Iranian government is a financial and military supporter of Hezbollah, which has sent forces to Syria to support government troops in their fight against rebels since the beginning of the civil war. According to the Associated Press, two days before the scheduled ceasefire in Syria, Kerry reported to the U.S. Congress Foreign Affairs Committee that Iran's direct involvement in the Syrian war has decreased. He added, "The Iranian Revolutionary Guard has withdrawn part of its forces from Syria. Ayatollah Khamenei has evacuated a considerable number of Iranian forces, and their presence in Syria has diminished." Kerry stated, "This does not mean that the flow of weapons from Syria to Lebanon has stopped. Our concerns and sensitivities in this regard continue." He did not disclose his sources of information but urged Congress members to refer to intelligence reports on this matter. The Iranian government has never disclosed the number of its forces sent to Syria. However, according to information collected by the Associated Press, more than 100 Iranian military personnel, including several Revolutionary Guard commanders, have been killed in the Syrian civil war since October of this year. In another part of his remarks, Kerry asked the U.S. Congress not to rush to extend sanctions against Iran under the "ISA" law. The "ISA" law was passed in 2006 and imposes sanctions on Iran's nuclear and missile programs, which will expire later this year. According to Reuters, Kerry stated during a House Foreign Affairs Committee meeting to review the State Department's budget, "I do not recommend that this be done for various reasons." Reuters reports that many members of the U.S. Congress are calling for the immediate extension of the mentioned law to send a message to Tehran that Congress still maintains a firm stance on Iran's nuclear, missile programs, and human rights violations. If these sanctions are extended, it is likely to lead to another confrontation between the Obama administration and a Republican-controlled Congress. The majority of Republicans and some Democratic representatives supportive of the Obama administration oppose the nuclear agreement reached between Iran and six world powers in July of this year in Vienna. Under this agreement, Tehran agreed to halt many of its nuclear activities in exchange for the lifting or suspension of international sanctions against Iran. This agreement came into effect in January of this year. Kerry stated in his remarks on Thursday that lawmakers should give more time to see how Iran complies with the international nuclear agreement. He emphasized that whenever Iran violates the terms of this agreement or any other agreements, even if the "ISA" law is not extended, sanctions against Tehran will be quickly reinstated. When asked about Iran's access to $150 billion from the release of its assets, Kerry responded that the actual figure is $50 billion and has even decreased further. He stated, "Our estimate is between $50 to $55 billion, but currently, this figure is lower. In fact, they complain that the process of getting the money back is slow." Kerry had also opposed new sanctions against Iran in a Senate committee on Wednesday.