The Sunday Times, a Sunday edition of the British Times, reported on the 15th (local time) that the collapse of Syria's Bashar al-Assad regime, which Iran has sponsored so far, is on the verge of losing more than 70 trillion won.
Citing government documents obtained from the Syrian opposition, the Sunday Times said Syria has $50 billion (about 71.73 trillion won) in debt to Iran, adding that with the collapse of the Assad regime, Iran has not only lost Syria but is in a state of difficulty collecting huge bonds.
According to a Syrian government document carried by the Sunday Times, Iran's foreign ministry, the Middle East and North Africa bureau, said in a 2021 report that Syria's debt to Iran would exceed $50 billion and warned that the collapse of the Assad regime could make it difficult to collect bonds.
The Foreign Office also said in its 2022 report that it was "very difficult and practically impossible" to collect bonds due to Syria's weakening economy.
In a report to supreme leader Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei, Iran's Vice President Mohammad Mohber also suggested that some of the investments should be returned through demands for equity in Syrian state-owned companies, phosphate mines and the Mediterranean port of Latakia.
The Sunday Times said Syria's parliament signed a debt agreement with Iran last year, but at this point, Syria's chances of repaying its debt are extremely slim.
The Sunday Times predicted that the future relationship between the two countries would not be smooth, pointing out that the victorious Syrian rebels did not touch the Russian embassy, but let the Iranian embassy loot.
On top of that, the Sunday Times noted that Syria is unlikely to repay its debt to Iran because the Syrian people's sentiment toward Iran, which helped the Assad regime's brutal suppression, is not good and its economy is in a state of collapse.
The Sunday Times said even though warnings of Syria's collapse and subsequent losses have been issued for years, criticism in Iran is also mounting as fears of huge losses show signs of becoming a reality.
AI Anchor: Y-Go
Caption editing: Jeong Eui-jin
[Copyright holder (c) YTN Unauthorized reproduction, redistribution and use of AI data prohibited]
Citing government documents obtained from the Syrian opposition, the Sunday Times said Syria has $50 billion (about 71.73 trillion won) in debt to Iran, adding that with the collapse of the Assad regime, Iran has not only lost Syria but is in a state of difficulty collecting huge bonds.
According to a Syrian government document carried by the Sunday Times, Iran's foreign ministry, the Middle East and North Africa bureau, said in a 2021 report that Syria's debt to Iran would exceed $50 billion and warned that the collapse of the Assad regime could make it difficult to collect bonds.
The Foreign Office also said in its 2022 report that it was "very difficult and practically impossible" to collect bonds due to Syria's weakening economy.
In a report to supreme leader Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei, Iran's Vice President Mohammad Mohber also suggested that some of the investments should be returned through demands for equity in Syrian state-owned companies, phosphate mines and the Mediterranean port of Latakia.
The Sunday Times said Syria's parliament signed a debt agreement with Iran last year, but at this point, Syria's chances of repaying its debt are extremely slim.
The Sunday Times predicted that the future relationship between the two countries would not be smooth, pointing out that the victorious Syrian rebels did not touch the Russian embassy, but let the Iranian embassy loot.
On top of that, the Sunday Times noted that Syria is unlikely to repay its debt to Iran because the Syrian people's sentiment toward Iran, which helped the Assad regime's brutal suppression, is not good and its economy is in a state of collapse.
The Sunday Times said even though warnings of Syria's collapse and subsequent losses have been issued for years, criticism in Iran is also mounting as fears of huge losses show signs of becoming a reality.
AI Anchor: Y-Go
Caption editing: Jeong Eui-jin
[Copyright holder (c) YTN Unauthorized reproduction, redistribution and use of AI data prohibited]
