May 20, 2022
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad made a secret visit to Tehran May 5 and met with Supreme Leader Ali Khamenehi and President Ebrahim Raisi. The visit lasted only a few hours and was revealed only after Assad had returned to Damascus, in keeping with his strict security protocol. Assad’s only previous visit to Tehran was in February 2019, under identical silence rules. The purpose of the latest visit remains unknown.