Iran, Russia, and Turkey are meeting to decide Syria's future, but Trump is digging in

The leaders of Iran, Russia, and Turkey
(Image credit: Adem Altan/AFP/Getty Images)

The presidents of Russia, Turkey, and Iran are meeting in Tehran on Friday to discuss Syria's future, as Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and his Russian and Iranian allies gear up for an assault on the last rebel enclave, Idlib. Russian warplanes reportedly bombed southern Idlib Friday morning, but the Russian, Turkish, and Iranian leaders may still find a way to avoid a humanitarian disaster and massive bloodshed in a province with 3 million civilians and more than 10,000 hardcore fighters.

President Trump is not at the meeting, but he has agreed to a new U.S. strategy that involves keeping America's 2,200 troops in Syria indefinitely, said James Jeffrey, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo's Syrian engagement envoy. "The new policy is we're no longer pulling out by the end of the year," he said, according to The Washington Post. Pompeo and National Security Adviser John Bolton have communicated to Russia that Trump will be very angry with any slaughter in Idlib, he added.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up
To continue reading this article...
Continue reading this article and get limited website access each month.
Get unlimited website access, exclusive newsletters plus much more.
Cancel or pause at any time.
Already a subscriber to The Week?
Not sure which email you used for your subscription? Contact us
Peter Weber, The Week US

Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.