The above title is not my own wish, or expression, but rather this is something that Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said himself during the recent "World Conference on Youth and Islamic Awakening" held in Tehran under the auspices of the Iranian government and attended by thousands of youth. This conference attempted to claim that the Arab revolutions are following the path of Iran's Khomeinist revolution; however this conference did not go according to plan for Ahmadinejad.
This is because after images were shown during the conference of what happened in Tunisia, Egypt, Yemen, and Libya, in addition to other pictures aimed at provoking Saudi Arabia, the Gulf States, Jordan, and Morocco; an Iranian youth in the audience suddenly stood and held up a poster with one word written on it, namely "SYRIA?". In other words: what about Syria? At this point, voices were raised repeating "God, freedom, and Syria!" Of course, this youth was silenced by the conference organizers, and other voices were raised repeating slogans defending the Bashar al-Assad regime. When it was time for Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to give his speech, and upon reaching the podium, he told the audience "we must be vigilant: the West is trying to foment sectarian conflict in our societies, as part of their goal of keeping Israel alive." He added "today Syria, tomorrow your country" i.e. Iran.

Ahmadinejad is linking the safety and security of his own country with that of the Bashar al-Assad regime, not vice versa; for rather than the tyrant of Damascus saying that any threat to the Iranian regime weakens the al-Assad regime, it was Ahmadinejad who said that al-Assad being targeted today would mean Iran being targeted tomorrow. The meaning is clear; Ahmadinejad is well aware that Iran will have no value and role in the region without the subservience of the al-Assad regime; as the Syrian regime has facilitated Iran's presence in the region, particularly in Lebanon, and this is thanks to Damascus's support of the Iranian agent Hassan Nasrallah. This is something that has made it easy for Iran and Syria to trade with the Palestinian Cause, and continue their so-called fight against Israel by promoting the "resistance" lie, which is something that has been proven false. This is because this "resistance" is nothing more than an attempt to infiltrate the region on the part of Iran, and its agents like the al-Assad regime and Nasrallah.

Ahmadinejad's statements that "Today Syria, tomorrow your country" means that he is now well aware that the collapse of the Bashar al-Assad regime will be akin to Iran losing its right hand with regards to foreign policy, which would mean the complete failure of Tehran's foreign policy since the Khomeinist revolution. This is because Iran has thrown its entire weight behind the sectarian regime in Syria, since the Hafez al-Assad era down to the Bashar al-Assad era today, and Syria has helped Iran to become involved in all Arab files and issues, infiltrating the region, and even recruiting agents there.

Therefore, the collapse of the al-Assad regime means that Iran will have to fall back at home and finally reap what it has sown, which is something that Tehran's mullahs, and Ahmadinejad, fear. This can be seen in the Iranian president's warning to the youth to be vigilant and that "today Syria…tomorrow Iran". This is indeed what is expected, therefore the collapse of the al-Assad regime is something that will benefit everybody.

Tariq Alhomayed is the Editor-in-Chief of Asharq Al-Awsat, the youngest person to be appointed that position. He holds a BA degree in Media studies from King Abdul Aziz University in Jeddah, and has also completed his Introductory courses towards a Master's degree from George Washington University in Washington D.C. He is based in London.