尽管美国国会通过了一项法案，将对两国支持叙利亚总统巴沙尔·阿萨德的行为实施新的制裁，但俄罗斯和伊朗已确认在双边安全和双方在叙利亚的共同努力方面有更密切的关系。
伊朗最高国家安全委员会秘书阿里·沙姆哈尼星期三在德黑兰会见了俄罗斯国家安全秘书尼古拉·帕特鲁舍夫。俄罗斯国营通讯社塔斯社援引德黑兰驻莫斯科大使馆的话说，在讨论中，前者“指出两国需要深化努力，以确保地区稳定和安全”。帕特鲁舍夫呼吁两国在叙利亚密切合作，尤其是在被称为阿斯塔纳进程的三方和平谈判中与支持反对派的土耳其并肩作战。
同一天，俄罗斯外交部副部长米哈伊尔·博格达诺夫和德黑兰驻莫斯科大使迈赫迪·萨奈也“确认他们致力于进一步协调旨在缓解中东紧张局势的努力，即在阿斯塔纳协助叙利亚监管进程中”
两次会晤似乎都表明两国愿意继续支持阿萨德政府，即使是在那之后华盛顿投了赞成票凯撒叙利亚平民保护法，国防授权法的一部分。前一项法案旨在进一步从财政上惩罚叙利亚领导人及其国内外支持者，因为他们助长了据称在该国持续内战期间普遍侵犯人权的行为。
伊朗最高国家安全委员会秘书阿里·沙姆卡尼(中)、中国安全国务部长陈文青(中右)、俄罗斯联邦安全委员会秘书尼古拉·帕特鲁舍夫(中左)、印度副国家安全顾问拉金德·卡纳(右)等代表在伊朗、俄罗斯、乌兹别克斯坦、塔吉克斯坦、阿富汗、中国和印度国家安全部长会议上合影。该活动于12月18日在伊朗德黑兰举行。
华盛顿早在2011年就切断了与大马士革的联系，当时叙利亚政府镇压了抗议活动，导致美国及其盟友支持的叛乱，最初威胁到阿萨德的统治。在俄罗斯和伊朗的帮助下，叙利亚军队卷土重来，对抗反叛分子和圣战分子，因为五角大楼特别关注在另一个非国家派别(主要是库尔德叙利亚民主力量)的支持下与伊斯兰国激进组织(伊斯兰国)作战。
在美国最近的一次转变中，唐纳德·特朗普总统已经将美国军队从叙利亚北部撤回到专注于控制油田更东边。与此同时，北约盟国土耳其对被安卡拉指控与叙利亚北部被禁分裂分子有关联的库尔德战士发起了干预。此举使得已经得到美国支持的叙利亚政府能够进一步扩大对该国的控制，并誓言在莫斯科和德黑兰的支持下完全夺回该国。
尽管美国施压反对支持阿萨德，俄罗斯军方还是首次与叙利亚武装部队在地中海举行联合海军演习。俄罗斯国防部官方的兹韦兹达通讯社周二报道，演习涉及来自两国的多达2000名士兵和10艘船只，以及在叙利亚塔尔图斯海岸活动的俄罗斯飞机。
周三，俄罗斯外交部发言人玛丽亚扎哈罗娃(Maria Zakharova)表示，大马士革和莫斯科之间将加强协调，叙利亚外长瓦利德穆阿利姆(Walid al-Muallem)将与俄罗斯外长谢尔盖拉夫罗夫(Sergey Lavrov)举行会晤。她指出，在他们计划进行的讨论中，“将高度重视进一步加强我们两国之间双边关系的一系列问题，包括在贸易、经济和人道主义领域。”
尽管美国参谋长联席会议主席马克·米莉将军因在叙利亚问题上立场不同而关系紧张，但他周三还是与俄罗斯参谋长瓦莱里·格拉西莫夫将军在瑞士伯尔尼进行了磋商。俄罗斯外交部表示，两人“就战略稳定、叙利亚和其他地区的局势以及防止双方军事活动期间发生事件的措施交换了意见”
美国参谋长联席会议随后发表声明称，“两位军事领导人讨论了叙利亚、战略稳定以及各种其他行动和战略问题，以加强化解冲突、增进理解和降低风险。”
声明补充说:“双方领导人都认识到保持定期沟通的重要性，以避免误判，提高透明度。”。"根据过去的惯例，两位将军都同意对他们谈话的细节保密。"
一系列照片显示，12月18日，一枚炸弹袭击了叙利亚伊德利卜省马雷特努曼住宅区的一栋建筑。该国最后一个反对派据点由伊斯兰分子控制，但却有数百万平民在叙利亚和俄罗斯的军事袭击中面临伤亡风险。
至于伊朗，自特朗普政府去年单方面退出由中国、欧盟、法国、德国、俄罗斯和英国支持的2015年核协议以来，该国一直忍受着美国严厉的、新的制裁。奥巴马政府指责伊朗伊斯兰共和国秘密发展核武器，扩散被认为破坏该地区稳定的导弹技术，并支持海外军事组织，包括伊拉克和叙利亚。
美国和伊朗都参与了在这两个国家打击伊斯兰国的斗争，但在整个中东地区追求相反的利益。在波斯湾再度动荡之际，五角大楼增加了在该地区的军事存在，因为华盛顿指责伊朗不仅在叙利亚，而且在国内侵犯人权，安全部队对伊朗使用致命武力越来越暴力的示威由不断恶化的经济状况引发。
周四，美国国务卿麦克·庞贝将“发表关于伊朗人权的讲话”随后，由负责民主、人权和劳工事务的助理国务卿罗伯特·迪斯特罗、伊朗问题特别代表布赖恩·胡克和负责国际宗教自由的无任所大使萨姆·布朗巴克主持了“与伊朗政权侵犯人权行为幸存者的小组讨论”。
鉴于华盛顿和德黑兰之间的紧张局势无法缓解，伊朗总统哈桑·鲁哈尼将于周五启程前往为数不多的几个试图成为这两个长期敌人的通道的国家之一——日本。此前，日本首相安倍晋三6月份对德黑兰进行了具有里程碑意义的访问，9月份在联合国大会期间举行了双边会谈，试图缓和美伊不和，但没有成功。
RUSSIA AND IRAN GET CLOSER ON SECURITY AND SYRIA AFTER U.S. VOTE TO PUNISH THEM
Russia and Iran have affirmed closer ties in bilateral security and on their joint efforts in Syria despite U.S. lawmakers' passage of a bill that would slap new sanctions on the two countries over their support for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
Iranian Supreme National Security Council Secretary Ali Shamkhani met Wednesday with Russian National Security Secretary Nikolai Patrushev in Tehran. In their discussions, the former "pointed to the need to deepen the two countries' efforts to ensure regional stability and security," according to Tass, the state-run Russian news agency, which cited Tehran's embassy in Moscow. Patrushev called for both countries to work closely together in Syria, especially alongside pro-opposition Turkey in their trilateral peace talks, known as the Astana process.
That same day, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov and Tehran's ambassador in Moscow, Mehdi Sanaei, also "confirmed their commitment to further coordination of efforts aimed to alleviate tensions in the Middle East, namely within the Astana process of aiding Syrian regulation."
Both meetings appeared to signal the two nations' willingness to press on with their backing for Assad's government even after Washington voted in favor of the Caesar Syria Civilian Protection Act, a part of the National Defense Authorization Act. The former act is intended to further punish financially the Syrian leader and his supporters at home and abroad for facilitating alleged widespread human rights abuses throughout the country's ongoing civil war.
Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council of Iran Ali Shamkhani (center), Chinese Minister of State for Security Chen Wenqing (center right), Secretary of the Security Council of the Russian Federation Nikolai Patrushev (center left), Deputy National Security Adviser of India Rajinder Khanna (right) and other delegates pose during a meeting of the national security secretaries of Iran, Russia, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Afghanistan, China and India. The event took place in Tehran, Iran, on December 18.
Washington cut ties with Damascus back in 2011 as the Syrian government cracked down on protests, leading to an insurgency backed by the U.S. and its allies that initially threatened Assad's rule. With help from Russia and Iran, the Syrian military made a comeback against rebels and jihadis as the Pentagon focused specifically on battling the Islamic State militant group (ISIS) with support from another non-state faction, the mostly Kurdish Syrian Democratic Forces.
In the latest shift by the U.S., President Donald Trump has pulled U.S. troops from northern Syria to focus on controlling oil fields farther east. Meanwhile, NATO ally Turkey has launched an intervention against Kurdish fighters accused by Ankara of being linked to banned separatists in Syria's north. The move allowed the already-U.S.-sanctioned Syrian government to further expand its control of the country, which it has vowed to retake entirely with Moscow's and Tehran's endorsement.
Despite U.S. pressure against supporting Assad, the Russian military staged its first-ever joint naval exercises with the Syrian armed forces in the Mediterranean. The drills involved up to 2,000 troops and 10 vessels from both nations, along with Russian aircraft, operating off the coast of the Syrian city Tartus, the Russian Defense Ministry's official Zvezda outlet reported Tuesday.
On Wednesday, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova signaled more coordination between Damascus and Moscow with an upcoming meeting between Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Muallem and his Russian counterpart, Sergey Lavrov. She noted that throughout their planned discussions, "significant attention will be paid to a range of issues of further strengthening bilateral relations between our countries, including in the trade, economic and humanitarian spheres."
Even with tensions over their differing positions on Syria, the chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Mark Milley, sat down Wednesday with his Russian counterpart, General Valery Gerasimov, for consultations in Berne, Switzerland. The Russian Foreign Ministry said the two men "exchanged their views on strategic stability, the situation in Syria and other regions, as well as measures to prevent incidents during the military activities of the parties."
The U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff later released a statement saying the "two military leaders discussed Syria, strategic stability and a variety of other operational and strategic issues to enhance deconfliction, improve understanding, and reduce risk."
"Both leaders recognize the importance of maintaining regular communication to avoid miscalculation and to promote transparency," the statement added. "In accordance with past practice, both generals have agreed to keep the details of their conversations private."
A series of photos shows a bomb striking a building in a residential district of Maaret al-Numan in Syria’s Idlib province on December 18. The country’s last opposition stronghold is dominated by Islamists but contains millions of civilians who have been at risk of death and injury during Syrian and Russian military assaults.
As for Iran, the country has endured strict, renewed U.S. sanctions since the Trump administration's unilateral exit last year from the 2015 nuclear deal backed by China, the European Union, France, Germany, Russia and the United Kingdom. The administration has accused the Islamic Republic of secretly pursuing nuclear weapons, proliferation of missile technology considered destabilizing to the region, and supporting militant groups abroad, including in Iraq and Syria.
The U.S. and Iran were both involved in battling ISIS in these two countries but have pursued opposing interests across the Middle East. Amid renewed unrest in the Persian Gulf, the Pentagon has increased its military presence in the region as Washington accused Iran of human rights abuses not only in Syria, but at home as well, as security forces used deadly force against increasingly violent demonstrations sparked by worsening economic conditions.
On Thursday, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is scheduled to "deliver remarks on human rights in Iran." This was to be followed by "a panel discussion with survivors of the Iranian regime's human rights abuses," hosted by Assistant Secretary for Democracy, Human Rights and Labor Robert Destro, Special Representative for Iran Brian Hook and Ambassador-at-large for International Religious Freedom Sam Brownback.
With no off-ramp in sight for flaring tensions between Washington and Tehran, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani was set to depart Friday for one of the few countries trying to be a conduit for the two longtime foes—Japan. The planned trip will follow unsuccessful attempts to smooth the U.S.-Iran feud after Japanese Prime Minister Abe Shinzo's landmark visit to Tehran in June and September's bilateral talks on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly meeting.
