The story: As the dust settles from Bashar Al-Assad’s downfall, the debate in Iran on what really transpired in Syria is taking new turns. Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has rejected the notion that the Sunni Islamist rebel takeover signifies the Islamic Republic’s decline.

Meanwhile, a senior Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) commander has sparked controversy after portraying Assad’s fall as a “very bad defeat.” Behrouz Esbati also accused Russia of abetting Israeli strikes ....