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Syria owes Iran $50 billion according to leaked documents from Irans Foreign Ministry, with fears for Assads possible assassination creating fear in Tehran the money may never be recouped.

The revelations came after the hacktivist group Uprising till Overthrow', affiliated with the Albania-based opposition Mujahideen-e Khalq (MEK) group, hacked the Islamic Republics Foreign Ministry servers, disabling 210 sites and onlineservicesand leaking a large batch of documents.

Minutes from a meeting of Irans Supreme National Security Council show Syrias debt goes back to a long-termagreement signed between the two countries in January2019, under former president Hassan Rouhani.However, the debt has been building for much longer, with roughly $11bn worth of oil given to Damascus from 2012 to 2021.

A combination of aid in the form of military support and cash, the total amount of debt to Iran is estimated to be about$50 billion, though the document said the final amount is still being calculated.

In the first six months of the Iranian year 1400 (from March 2021 to September 2021), whenPresident Ebrahim Raisi was in office,one million barrels of oil were sent to Syria but the Syrians allegedly demanded two million barrels per month.

The commander-in-chief ofIransRevolutionary Guards Hossein Salami proposed a 1.5 million barrel exportfor the second half of the yearupon the suggestion by Esmail Qaani, commander of IRGCs Quds Force a division primarily responsible for extraterritorial military and clandestine operations, read the document.

Esmail Qaani, commander of IRGCs Quds Force

One of the paragraphs of the document referred to Supreme Leader Ali Khameneis urgency to cash in on Syrias debts, fearing a repeat of its investment in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

One of the first Muslim countries to provide support for the Bosnian Muslims in the Bosnian War (199295), theIRGCsentmore than five thousandtonsof arms to the Bosnian Muslims.In spite of massive investment, Tehran's leverage in Bosnia and Herzegovina has decreased significantly, proving a poor asset for the regime.

The document stressed the necessity of having all terms agreed by the two nations parliaments to prevent Irans expulsion from Syria under any circumstances as may happen if Irans proxy leader, President Bashar al-Assad, should be assassinated, a concern raised in the documentation.

It stated that the new term of Assad issensitive and could lead to his elimination, urging that if the document is notfinalized soon,"billions of dollars of Irans assets willbe put in serious danger.Syria is a key strategic asset for Iran as it wields power through its proxies across the region.

The extent of Iranian military expenditures and financial aid to Syria to keep Assad in power is unknown but is believed to have run into billions ofdollarsat the expense of the Iranian people.

But Syria is in the midst of a massive regional power-shift, causing concern to Tehran. In the last month, Assad and hisaideshave met with key figures in countries including the UAE and Turkey as several regional powers see the benefits of bringing Assad, one of Iran's regional puppets, in from the cold, in a bid to lure him away from Tehrans destabilizing influence.

Last week, Syria was also readmitted to the Arab League after more than a decade in isolation, though Qatar said it would not resume diplomatic ties with Syria until its domestic crisis is resolved.

Iranian parliament member, HeshmatollahFalahatpisheh, announced in May 2020 that the country had invested$30 billionin Syria and must recoup it. With reconstruction costs estimated at $250-$400 billion, Syria urgently needs to improve economic ties with regional countries.

Most recently, Iran has been using the earthquake disaster to smuggle weapons and military equipment into Syria to arm its regional proxies within shipments marked as humanitarian aid.

It is not the first time the Uprising till Overthrow' succeeded in hacking and deactivating several regime websites and services. In June 2022, ithackedover 5,000 security cameras of state bodiesand 150 websites belonging to TehranMunicipality,displayinganti-regime slogans on thewebsitesand releasing internal data.

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Syria Owes $50 Billion To Iran, Leaked Document Reveals -