Iran accord gives Assad reason to worry

Iran and Russia, which also provides Mr. Assad with significant diplomatic, political and military support, are willing to envision a solution to the four-year-old conflict in Syria that eventually eases him out of power while safeguarding their own strategic interests in the country, according to people familiar with details of current Syria diplomacy.

Publicly, Iran and Russia have long maintained that it is up to Syrians to decide the fate of Mr. Assad. But in recent days, there have been hints that they might need to consider alternative scenarios.

“Everyone realizes that the situation has changed a lot and now involves even more angles and complexities,” Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told reporters in Moscow on Monday.