An Islamabad forum organised by the Institute of Regional Studies brought together regional analysts who argued that Turkey and Iran cannot be excluded from proceedings over Syria and broader Middle East affairs. Ms Fatemeh Asadi, a Tehran-based foreign affairs specialist, said Turkey and Iran are natural partners because of their close proximity and shared interest in stabilising Syria.
Ms Asadi warned that the Syrian situation remains volatile and no single external actor can fully shape its outcome. She rejected the idea that Iran is weak, saying instead that Tehran’s regional priorities have shifted toward pragmatism. With concerns that Israeli moves could fragment Syria and unsettle the wider region, Ms Asadi said Turkey finds in Iran a feasible partner to help preserve Syrian unity.
Ambassador Edmund Fitton-Brown, senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, offered a cautionary note about the limits of that partnership. He observed that while Turkey often holds the upper hand, Ankara seeks to manage ties with Tehran carefully because it also wants to keep the United States engaged. Ambassador Fitton-Brown warned that growing geopolitical fragmentation — including a possible Saudi-UAE alignment — could undermine Turkey’s interests in Syria and complicate any Turkey Iran cooperation.
Ambassador Fitton-Brown added that failure to form an inclusive Syrian government could rekindle sectarian tensions and potentially prompt US disengagement from Turkey-backed arrangements inside Syria, a development that would reshape regional calculations.
Mr Ferahim Eliyev, research fellow at the Crescent Research Center in Azerbaijan, described the Turkey Iran relationship as largely tactical and rooted in realpolitik rather than ideology. He said Ankara views Israeli actions as destabilising and is therefore prepared to coordinate with Tehran to manage the Syrian crisis. Mr Eliyev noted that Turkey seeks to position itself as a credible mediator between new Syrian authorities and Iran, making the partnership situational but strategically important.
Economic cooperation also underpins the wider bilateral dynamic, Mr Eliyev added, with Ankara determined to continue trade and commercial ties with Tehran despite sanctions pressure. For Pakistan and other neighbours, experts at the Islamabad discussion said the evolving Turkey Iran approach to Syria matters because regional stability and refugee flows have direct consequences for security and economic resilience across South Asia.
