Thread by @KyleWOrton

The U.S.'s proposal for an accord with #Russia over #Syria, the purpose of which is to get #Iran out, is broadly known from reporting. Folks familiar with the Syria policy discussions clarified some details. <Thread below>

As an aside: the Syria policy seems to have been taken away from the State Department, wholly into the White House, specifically into the hands of John Bolton, in the run-up to this summit with Putin.

The U.S. will propose:
- Withdrawal of #Iran's personnel (inc. #Hizballah) from Syria, *not* in a "phased" manner but as Stage One of the process;
- After six months, with verification Iran is gone, the U.S. will shut down its bases, not just Tanf, all in the SDF/PKK area

If this reciprocal withdrawal, Iran then the U.S., from #Syria comes off, the U.S. will accept the legitimacy of #Russia's forces remaining to support Asad, though the U.S. will not de jure accept Asad and will retain the ban on reconstruction money going to regime-held areas.

#Jordan is said to be opposed to this "Bolton Plan" for #Iran's total withdrawal from #Syria, seeing it as too strenuous. Amman was [and is] prepared to accept the #Russia-McGurk/Satterfield proposal that would keep #IRGC out of a 45 km buffer around Tanf.

#Israel is annoyed with the Jordanians for accepting #Russia's proposal, and Amman is annoyed with the Israelis for rejecting it. Jerusalem hasn't weighed in yet on the Bolton Plan itself.

https://twitter.com/KyleWOrton/status/1014456089629347840

Re the chances of #Russia being willing/able to get #Iran out of southern #Syria: here is a Russian military officer embracing commander from Liwa Abu Fadl al-Abbas, a component militia of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, in Da'el, Deraa. Doesn't seem like an eviction.

Potentially interesting, as U.S. seems headed out of #Syria, on a #YPG/#PKK agreement with the #Asad/#Iran system.

(Not unprecedented. E.g. in the long years the PKK was Asad's proxy against #Turkey, Kurds serving in its ranks were counted as if they had done military service.)

So it's confirmed: the Syria team on the NSC has been cleared out. John Bolton has taken on the file, and is bringing in his own people. thenational.ae/world/the-amer…