An Iranian commander who led the battle to retake Aleppo from Syria’s opposition forces in 2017 has returned, Iran’s state media said, as President Bashar al-Assad faces renewed threats from armed groups bent on toppling his government.
Javad Ghaffari, a senior figure in Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) was reported to have arrived in Damascus on Sunday, Iran's state-run Al-Alam news website reported, hours after Iran’s foreign minister said Iranian forces could be deployed to Syria if requested by Assad.
Ghaffari was sanctioned by the United States in September 2024 for his role in “targeting critics of the Iranian regime abroad” as head of the IRGC Intelligence Organization’s Special Operations Division.
Previously, Ghaffari spent a several years in Syria leading forces, including Hezbollah fighters and the Afghan Fatemiyoun militia in campaigns to reclaim key central and Eastern cities Palmyra, Deir ez-Zor, and Al-Bukamal from opposition groups.
He was dubbed Butcher of Aleppo by his foes following the bloody battle over Syria’s second largest city, where thousands were killed and injured.
Despite his military successes, Ghaffari had to leave Syria in 2021, according to Times of Israel, after his actions — including attacking American forces and deploying Iranian weapons to unauthorized locations — were deemed by Damascus to have contravened Syrian sovereignty. The report was not independently confirmed.
His re-emergence underscores Iran’s enduring influence in Syria and Assad’s precarious situation following the recent advances of his adversaries.
Armed groups led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham launched a significant offensive last week, violating a four-year-old truce and seizing substantial portions of Aleppo and its suburbs, as well as areas around the northwestern city of Idlib.
The Syrian army has responded by retreating from key positions in Aleppo to regroup in northern Hama. Reinforcements and equipment are arriving in the area, with preparations for a large-scale counteroffensive underway to reclaim lost territories.
Ghaffari’s presence signals both a renewed Iranian commitment to Assad’s survival and the high stakes of the ongoing conflict.
“The Islamic Republic neither commands resistance groups in Arab countries nor maintains organizational ties with them but supports their cause and, if needed, provides assistance.” Abbas Araghchi was quoted as saying by the Al-Araby Al-Jadeed website on Tuesday.
The remarks come as Syria's stalemated civil war was suddenly jolted last week as rebels led by hardline Islamists launched an offensive which captured Aleppo, the second biggest city, in a setback to a key regional ally of the Islamic Republic.
Araghchi revealed his intention to visit Russia for discussions on Syria, emphasizing the need to calm the conflict and present initiatives for a long-term resolution.
“We have made extensive preparations to calm the situation in Syria and create opportunities for presenting initiatives and establishing a permanent solution,” he added.
Araghchi also addressed Syria’s demands for a Turkish withdrawal as a prerequisite for renewed ties between Damascus and Ankara, calling it a logical condition.
He further criticized Turkey’s support for armed groups opposing Assad, warning that the expansion of activities by terrorist groups—a term Araghchi attributed to certain opposition factions—poses a greater threat to regional neighbors than to Iran.
“We are always seeking consultation and dialogue with Turkey regarding our differences,” he said.
Esmaeil Baghaei, spokesperson for Iran’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said Tuesday that the foreign minister conveyed the country's policy opposing what he described as terrorism during recent visits to Syria and Turkey.
“Terrorism is a contagious disease that does not stop in one place. If countries do not cooperate in combating this problem, all nations will undoubtedly be affected,” he said at an economic conference in Mashhad.
Fighting intensifies in Syria
Meanwhile, northeast Syria has seen renewed combat as US-backed Kurdish forces clashed with Assad’s troops.
Airstrikes targeted Iranian-backed militias in the Deir al-Zor region, with Syrian and security sources attributing the attacks to the US-led coalition.
The coalition has not commented, and there was no independent confirmation of the strikes.
The conflict poses a significant challenge for Assad, whose forces are grappling with rebel advances near Aleppo and Hama.
Syrian state media reported intensified Russian and Syrian airstrikes in response, while rescue workers reported civilian casualties from hospital bombings in Aleppo and Idlib.
These developments complicate an already volatile regional landscape, with conflicts in Gaza and Lebanon still rumbling despite a fresh ceasefire aimed at ending the war between Hezbollah and Israel.
Analysts warn that escalation in Syria could spill over into neighboring countries, deepening instability across the Middle East.
As Iran positions itself as a key player in Syria’s future, Araghchi’s remarks highlight Tehran’s dual strategy: supporting Assad militarily while pursuing diplomatic engagement with Turkey and Russia.
In a televised address, Masoud Pezeshkian admitted that in spite of promises that prices would not rise and that there would be no foreign exchange allocated for gasoline imports, it was a necessary means to manage in the worst recession since the founding of the Islamic Republic in 1979.
"When the allocation of foreign exchange is not compensated, gasoline prices will inevitably rise," he said.
He highlighted the financial strain posed by gasoline imports, citing a potential budget deficit that would harm low-income groups through inflation, referring to a shortage of foreign currency earnings that limit the government's ability to finance imports.
In the past six years, since the United States re-introduced oil export sanctions, the government has been forced to print more money that has pushed annual inflation to above 40%.
“When we allocate dollars to import gasoline, it leads to a budget deficit, resulting in inflation that harms low-income groups. By doing this, we exert pressure on them,” he added.
On Tuesday, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, Speaker of the Parliament, countered by asserting that pricing petroleum products is the government’s responsibility.
“Let the government do its job, and we will not interfere,” he added.
The debate occurs while there are broader concerns over Iran's "energy imbalance," a term Pezeshkian used to describe the country's shortages in gas, electricity, and water.
During the interview on Monday, he stressed that unsustainable energy consumption, coupled with heavy subsidies amounting to $130-$150 billion annually, burdens the economy.
“This equates to 900 million rials [$1,300] per capita,” he said, emphasizing the incompatibility of current energy needs with production capacity.
Economy Minister Abdolnaser Hemmati also echoed concerns about shortages on Tuesday, pointing to rampant gasoline smuggling and the financial toll of imports.
Speaking at an insurance conference, Hemmati said: "Whenever we discuss this, people say we intend to increase gasoline prices. No logic accepts this massive gasoline smuggling while we are forced to import gasoline ourselves.
"As long as I am the Minister of Economy..., I will do my utmost to combat these rent-seeking practices. It is time for reforms. We must address the imbalances once and for all."
The potential for a gasoline price hike has sparked discussions ahead of next year’s budget approval, with parliament members divided. Some warned that such a move could provoke political unrest, reminiscent of the November 2019 protests following steep price increases during Hassan Rouhani's presidency.
Pezeshkian has consistently highlighted energy shortages, particularly around gasoline. His remarks that $5 billion is spent annually on imports contrast with figures from Tasnim News Agency, affiliated with the IRGC, which said last year’s total was $2 billion.
