The resumption of diplomatic relations between Iran and Qatar in recent days will certainly affect regional developments, and in particular the future of Syria. It is no coincidence that Doha's intention to "strengthen bilateral relations with the Islamic Republic of Iran in all fields" has exacerbated the crisis between the Gulf countries, ending up by removing the sectarian dimension between Sunnis and Shiites in the conflicts regional. In addition to the members of the Gulf Cooperation Council, the Doha decision took everyone by surprise, including the United States. The spokesman for the US State Department said that "there are diplomatic issues in progress, of which we are not fully aware, or of which we can not yet speak openly. We can not say yet whether it's a good thing or not. But in general, we remain very concerned about the conditions of the dispute and this we can openly say ".
From the Iranian point of view, Teheran with the rapprochement with Doha adds another country with a majority Sunni - after the recent visit to Ankara by the General of the Pasdaran, Mohammad Bagheri - to its network of regional relations. Qatar, not unlike Turkey, played a major role in supporting opposition to the Assad regime, in particular the Salafi movement known as Ahrar Al Sham, belonging or tangent to the opaque Qaedist orbit, which today has a very strong presence in the city of Idlib. There is no doubt that Iran and Qatar currently have different ideas, if not opposing, on the future of Syria: if, however, the short-term objective is to pursue a partial pacification of the country and to decrease the intensity of armed clashes, as per the intentions of the Astana meeting, the rapprochement between the two countries could have positive effects. Not only for Syria, but also for Yemen, where Saudi Arabia faces the growing international stigma, due to the humanitarian crisis sharpened by the bombing of Riyadh. If the commitments of the US-led international coalition seem to be directed against ISIS and its now former capital Raqqa, that of Idlib could soon become a new front, because of the domination exercised by the groups belonging to the Qaedist orbit, like Ahrar al Sham herself or Hayat Tahrir to the Sham. According to analyst Ali Hashem "Iran needs Turkish assistance to end the war in Syria, given the ties of Ankara with several groups - such as those mentioned - that Tehran currently considers terrorists. Either Turkey abandons these groups or persuades them to disarm, only with these premises can we think of a political solution. A development that according to Amberin Zaman, would already be in place, with Ankara asking Hayat Tahrir to Sham for the dismantling, so that it is easier to free the province of Idlib from the grip of al Qaeda, and from internal conflicts to its orbit. Formally, both Russia, the United States and Turkey consider Hayat Tahrir to Sham a terrorist organization. In this sense, the possible slippage of Qatar on positions closer to Tehran could influence the course of events, given the influence of Doha - especially economic - on the groups that today dominate the northern city of Syria.
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