Iran is now attracting people to eastern Syria with photography and editing courses. Classes are always held at the Shiite cultural centers in Deir Ezzor and in the end the best students are rewarded with a job

Iran is relaunching again in eastern Syria to extend its influence. The carrier is always the cultural centers in Deir Ezzor and the target is the population, but above all the young people. This time, however, the lure changes: from Farsi courses, they have moved on to photography and editing lessons, obviously free and open to everyone, including women. Furthermore, the most deserving students, at the end of the course, will be hired in the Media offices of the cultural centers. The whole project appears to be run by two people: Hag Hussein, who heads the facility in Mayadeen, and Hag Sadiq. The latter would be in charge of all the centers in the Middle Eastern country.

The Iranian strategy in Syria, however, has a downside, especially on the cost-benefit side

Iran’s strategy in Syria, however, is not without flaws. In particular, it is very expensive and resources are becoming scarce. This especially in the East where there was recently a huge recruitment campaign in the Shiite militias, in the context of which benefits such as free care for oneself and the family were offered to those who enlisted. This led to a boom in hospital presences in Deir Ezzor, which quickly became unmanageable both in terms of operational capacity and costs, forcing Iranian officials to freeze any requests that did not come from the militias themselves.