The Iran nuclear deal, Iran’s foreign policy and the crisis in Syria

The Iran nuclear deal has huge consequences both for Iran itself and for the region, most notably the war-torn country of Syria. Iran has faced severe economic hardship and political isolation; the nuclear deal leads the way to establish itself as the region’s main power, challenging Saudi pre-eminence and the wide-ranging influence of the USA. Given Iran’s direct interest and close involvement in the conflict in Syria, it is important to ask how a resurgent Iran will affect Syria’s future and the chances for peace.

With the U.S. Congressional votes now secured for the passage of the Iran deal, questions will now turn to the implementation of the deal and its subsequent consequences for the regions. To discuss these issues in greater depth, you are invited to an exclusive roundtable discussion with a group of leading experts on Iran and Syria from the University of St Andrews: Professor Ali Ansari, Professor Raymond Hinnebusch, Dr Ahab Bdaiwi and Dr Jasmine Gani. They will each give a short presentation before the event is then opened up to an informal discussion.

Professor Ansari is a Senior Associate Fellow at RUSI and Director of the Institute for Iranian Studies; Professor Raymond Hinnebusch is a Professor of International Relations and the director of the Centre for Syrian Studies; Dr Ahab Bdaiwi is part of the School of History at University; and Dr Jasmine Gani is a member of the Centre for Syrian Studies and part of the School of International Relations. The meeting will be chaired by Dr. Jonathan Eyal, International Director of RUSI.

To register for this event please contact Nathan Mathiot at nathanm@rusi.org.