The tension in Syria is rising over Iran’s desire to secure control of the Syrian-Iraqi border, against the apparent wishes of the United States. This has already let to military confrontations between pro-Iranian militias and armed groups backed by the United States, with American aircraft having bombed Syrian regime forces and their pro-Iran allies.

To examine the situation in more depth, in mid-June Diwan spoke to Ali Hashem, the editor in chief of the Mayadeen website. Hashem is familiar with Iranian and Hezbollah thinking, and shed light on what it is the Iranians would like to achieve in Syria. This interview was conducted in English and Arabic. The Arabic version is available here.

* The interview was organized and filmed by Carnegie Web Coordinator Ghida Tayara.