Iranian Leaks: How Rouhani Persuaded Putin to Keep Assad in Power

Russian President Vladimir Putin speaks with former Iranian President Hassan Rouhani during their talks after the third Gas Exporting Countries Forum summit in Tehran, November 23, 2015 (File - Getty)
Russian President Vladimir Putin speaks with former Iranian President Hassan Rouhani during their talks after the third Gas Exporting Countries Forum summit in Tehran, November 23, 2015 (File - Getty)
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Iranian Leaks: How Rouhani Persuaded Putin to Keep Assad in Power

Russian President Vladimir Putin speaks with former Iranian President Hassan Rouhani during their talks after the third Gas Exporting Countries Forum summit in Tehran, November 23, 2015 (File - Getty)
Russian President Vladimir Putin speaks with former Iranian President Hassan Rouhani during their talks after the third Gas Exporting Countries Forum summit in Tehran, November 23, 2015 (File - Getty)

Two months after Bashar al-Assad’s regime in Syria was overthrown, an Iranian magazine revealed details of the first meeting between former Iranian President Hassan Rouhani and Russian President Vladimir Putin in September 2013.
The meeting took place in an atmosphere of concern and uncertainty about Assad’s future.
The reformist-leaning magazine “Agahi-ye No” published a full account of the conversation, which happened on September 13, 2013, a month after Rouhani took office. The meeting occurred during the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan.

Putin had known Rouhani from their time as national security chiefs in their countries.

In a report titled “When Did Russia Abandon Syria?” Agahi-ye No said the meeting between the two presidents lasted an hour and 20 minutes. The first part of the discussion covered general issues between Russia and Iran, before moving on to Iran’s nuclear program and the situation in Syria.

The discussion on Syria began when Rouhani asked Putin, “What do you want to do in Syria?” Putin responded cautiously, "Do you think Assad can stay in power?" Rouhani replied, “Yes, but with reforms.” Putin asked, “How?”

Rouhani explained that Syria is a multi-sectarian country with a divide between Alawites and Sunnis. He said the Baath Party is secular and unconcerned with social freedoms. “In this situation, Assad is the only one who can keep Syria united. There's no alternative,” he said.

Rouhani added, “We’ve tried to find an alternative, but we weren’t alone. The French, the British, and even you Russians couldn’t find one.”

Putin disagreed, saying, “It's unlikely Assad will remain.”

Rouhani responded, “Who is the alternative? The army only follows Assad’s orders.”

Putin then asked, “What if Assad is overthrown?” Rouhani said, “Syria will collapse. He must be protected.”

Putin said, “I can secure weapons for Assad,” but Rouhani argued, “Military help alone isn’t enough. We need political support.”

The two leaders agreed to appoint special representatives to discuss Assad’s future. As Rouhani left, Putin whispered in his ear: “I’ve prepared a ship on the Mediterranean and a plane in our bases for Assad to come to Moscow in an emergency.”

This surprised Rouhani. Was Putin planning an escape for Assad? Rouhani didn’t ask, unsure if Putin was worried about Assad or already planning his escape.

Before getting in the car, Rouhani whispered back, “It’s a good idea, but Assad must not know. He must think there’s no escape. He needs to understand that resistance is his only option.”

Later, Putin raised a question that unsettled Rouhani: “Why does the US hate Assad so much?” Rouhani replied, “Because the US wants someone loyal to them in Damascus, while Assad isn’t trusted by Washington.”

This exchange sparked debate in Tehran.

These details were published amid growing criticism of Iran’s support for Assad, especially from senior officials and the Revolutionary Guard. As Assad’s position weakened, concerns about Iran’s military presence in Syria grew louder.

Moreover, this is the second widely shared account from President Hassan Rouhani's team about Iranian-Russian discussions on Syria, following the controversial March 2021 leak of a recording with former Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and current Vice President for Strategic Affairs.

In his audio testimony to the presidential archive, Zarif accused Russia of trying multiple times to disrupt the nuclear deal, either at the last minute during negotiations or in the months before it was implemented.

He also discussed how Putin invited General Qasem Soleimani to Moscow to convince him to expand military cooperation between Russia and Iran, just two months before the nuclear agreement took effect.

Zarif downplayed the “heroic” version of events promoted by the Revolutionary Guard and its allies about Soleimani’s visit to Moscow, which they claimed helped persuade Putin to intervene in Syria.

Zarif criticized how military activities on the ground, led by Soleimani before his death in a US airstrike in early 2020, had undermined the role of diplomacy.

In 2017, Rouhani’s government joined the Astana talks with Russia and Türkiye to find a political solution to the Syrian crisis.

However, decisions on Syria remained under the control of Iran’s National Security Council and the Revolutionary Guard, both led by Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.



Nuclear Neighbors India and Pakistan are a Step Closer To War. Here’s a Timeline of How It Happened

An Indian police personnel stands outside a house that was damaged by Pakistani artillery shelling in Jammu on May 10, 2025. (Photo by Rakesh BAKSHI / AFP)
An Indian police personnel stands outside a house that was damaged by Pakistani artillery shelling in Jammu on May 10, 2025. (Photo by Rakesh BAKSHI / AFP)
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Nuclear Neighbors India and Pakistan are a Step Closer To War. Here’s a Timeline of How It Happened

An Indian police personnel stands outside a house that was damaged by Pakistani artillery shelling in Jammu on May 10, 2025. (Photo by Rakesh BAKSHI / AFP)
An Indian police personnel stands outside a house that was damaged by Pakistani artillery shelling in Jammu on May 10, 2025. (Photo by Rakesh BAKSHI / AFP)

A gun massacre of tourists on April 22 has pushed India and Pakistan a step closer to war, marking the biggest breakdown in relations since 2019.
Conflict between India and Pakistan is not rare, with the two countries having periodically engaged in wars, clashes and skirmishes since gaining independence from British India in 1947.
What’s different about this escalation is the frequency and intensity of strikes and retaliation.
Although the US had said it would not step in, it is now offering assistance in “starting constructive talks” between India and Pakistan to avoid future conflicts. But calls for restraint from the international community have yet to make an impact.
Here’s a timeline of how the latest conflict has unfolded:
April 22 Gunmen shoot and kill at least 26 tourists at a Pahalgam resort in Indian-controlled Kashmir, a major shift in a regional conflict that has largely spared civilians. The unidentified gunmen also wound 17 other people. A group called Kashmir Resistance, which India accuses Pakistan of backing, claims the attack.
Survivors tell The Associated Press that gunmen asked people if they were Hindu and then opened fire.
April 23 India downgrades diplomatic ties, closes the only functional land border crossing, and suspends a crucial water-sharing treaty that has survived two wars and a major border skirmish between the two countries.
India launches a manhunt for the Pahalgam assailants. Pakistan denies involvement with the attack.
April 24 India and Pakistan cancel visas for each other’s nationals, setting a deadline for them to leave. In retaliation, Pakistan shuts its airspace for all Indian-owned or Indian-operated airlines, and suspends all trade with India, including to and from any third country.
Government ministers on both sides hint the dispute could escalate to military action.
April 25 India says its troops exchanged fire with Pakistani soldiers at the Line of Control, the de facto border dividing the disputed Kashmir region.
Pakistan warns it could suspend an agreement that established the Line of Control, in what would be a major and worrying step. The United Nations urges both sides to “exercise maximum restraint.”
April 26 Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif vows his government will respond “with full force and might” to Indian attempts to stop or divert the flow of water.
Iran offers mediation, while Trump says he expects them to work out their differences. “There’s great tension between Pakistan and India, but there always has been,” he tells reporters aboard Air Force One.
April 30 Authorities in Indian-controlled Kashmir temporarily close dozens of resorts in the scenic Himalayan region after the deadly attack on tourists.
Troops from both countries exchange fire over the Line of Control for a fifth consecutive night.
Pakistan’s Information Minister Attaullah Tarar says his government has “credible intelligence” that India intends to carry out military action against Pakistan in the next 24 to 36 hours.
May 1 US Secretary of State Marco Rubio calls senior officials in India and Pakistan in an effort to defuse the crisis. US State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce says Rubio in his call with India expressed sorrow over the killings in Pahalgam and reaffirmed the US’s “commitment to cooperation with India against terrorism."
Pakistan says Rubio emphasized the need for both sides to “continue working together for peace and stability” in South Asia.
May 3 Pakistan test-fires a ballistic missile with a range of 450 kilometers (about 280 miles). Missiles are not fired toward the border area with India; they are normally fired into the Arabian Sea or the deserts of the southwest Balochistan province.
India suspends the exchange of all mail from Pakistan through air and surface routes and bans the direct and indirect import of goods from its neighbor. It also bars Pakistani-flagged ships from entering its ports and prohibits Indian-flagged vessels from visiting Pakistani ports.
May 7 India fires missiles on Pakistan, which calls the strikes an “act of war” and vows to avenge those who died in the pre-dawn attack.
The missiles kill 31 people, including women and children, in Pakistan-administered Kashmir and the country’s Punjab province. The strikes targeted at least nine sites “where terrorist attacks against India have been planned,” says India’s Defense Ministry.
Pakistan claims it downed several Indian fighter jets.
May 8 India fires attack drones into Pakistan, killing at least two civilians, the Pakistani military says. India, meanwhile, accuses its neighbor of attempting its own attack and acknowledges targeting its archrival’s air defense system.
India evacuates thousands of people from villages near the highly militarized frontier in the Kashmir region. Flights remain suspended at over two dozen airports across northern and western regions of India.
Pakistan's Punjab province announces the immediate closure of all schools and other educational institutions.
May 9 India suspends its biggest domestic cricket tournament for a week following the escalating military tensions with Pakistan. Pakistan initially says it will move its own domestic T20 tournament to the United Arab Emirates because of the crisis, but then says it will only postpone matches.
Several northern and western Indian states shut schools and other educational institutions.
US Vice President JD Vance says a potential war between India and Pakistan would be “none of our business.”
India's army says drones have been sighted in 26 locations across many areas in Indian states bordering Pakistan and Indian-controlled Kashmir, including the main city of Srinagar. The drones were tracked and engaged, it adds.
The Group of Seven nations, or G7, urge “maximum restraint” from both India and Pakistan, warning that further military escalation poses a serious threat to regional stability.
May 10 Pakistan says India has fired missiles at air bases inside the country and that retaliatory strikes are underway. The Indian missiles targeted Nur Khan air base in the garrison city of Rawalpindi, near the capital Islamabad, Murid air base in Chakwal city, and Rafiqui air base in the Jhang district of eastern Punjab province, according to the Pakistani army's chief spokesperson.
Pakistan says it has fired missiles at Indian military positions.
Residents in Indian-controlled Kashmir report hearing loud explosions at multiple places in the region, including Srinagar, Jammu, and the garrison town of Udhampur.