A library photo shows Assad (L) during his meeting with Iranian President Khatami (R) in Tehran

By Salwa al-Astawani, IOL Correspondent

DAMASCUS, July 4 (IslamOnline.net) – Syria’s Bashar Al-Assad is due in Iran Sunday, July 4, the first visit by the young head of state since the start of the US-led invasion on Iraq in April last year.

Coming at a critical stage for both countries, the visit is primarily meant to cement bilateral relations to stand up to the daunting challenges ahead facing Damascus and Tehran .

To mention but a few, the two are designated by the United States as "state sponsor of terrorism", accused of providing Hizbullah with weapons, beefing up the Palestinian resistance groups and last but not least developing weapons of mass destruction, the central rationale for the US-led invasion of neighboring Iraq.

It is not surprising that both countries consequently act in unison. The strategic alliance between both countries has established itself as one of the most important geopolitical feature of the Middle East .

Syria ’s logistic support to Iran in its deadly eight-year war with Iraq is a case in point.

This alliance is seen by analysts and observers as one of the bedrocks of stability in the region in view of the latest rapprochement between Tehran and various Arab countries.

Strong Trade Relations

Additionally, both countries have come along way concerning trade cooperation that dates back to 1982.

Years of earnest work have culminated in the signing of a 35-billion-dollar agreement in May 2004 to produce and assemble cars and train vehicles.

Iranian companies and factories are also quite active in Syria . A cement factory stands in the city of Hama , central Syria , with a capital of $200 million, ten grain cells worth $180 million in addition to power linkage contracts estimated at $75 million.

Official estimates put at $90 million the trade volume between both countries and $100 million the revenues of Iran ’s religious tourism in Syria .

Syria has recently embarked on a PR campaign to curb the repercussions of the US sanctions on its economy.

Damascus is also studying European investments to replace the departing US oil companies.

In addition, it reached out to China when Assad paid a historic visit to Beijing , the first ever by a Syrian head of state to the Communist country.

US Foul Play

Both countries also see eye-to-eye on the status quo in Iraq, the Kurdish headache, which threatens the territorial integrity of their soils, and of course the Israeli occupation of Palestine.

But Haitham Al-Kilani, a Syrian political analyst, said the United States wants to pit Iran and Syria against one another.

"The US wants to create an atmosphere of skepticism between both countries vis-à-vis some burning issues in the region, chiefly the Palestinian cause and a Syrian peace agreement with Israel ," Kilani told IslamOnline.net.

Kilani said the failure to hammer out a peace agreement between Damascus and Tel Aviv, however, gave an impetus to the Iranian-Syrian relations.

Former Syrian Industry Minister Aza Esam Al-Zaeem said the US-Anglo infiltration into the Arab world is an enough cause for both countries to stick to their close cooperation and coordination.