Experts had earlier stressed the importance of economic aspects of Raiesi’s visit to Damascus, noting that increased economic cooperation would help confront the Western-imposed sanctions on both states. The US has imposed rounds of crippling sanctions on Damascus. Parts of the restrictive measures have been imposed under the so-called Caesar Act, an American piece of legislation that purports to target the Assad government, despite sharp criticisms that the bans affect civilians. The US also restored its sanctions against Tehran after unilaterally leaving the 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and world powers, officially called the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), three years after its conclusion. The US, under former president Donald Trump, launched what it called a maximum pressure campaign against Iran at the time, targeting the Iranian nation with the “toughest ever” sanctions. Heading a high-ranking politico-economic delegation, Raeisi arrived in Damascus on Wednesday. The visit is the first by an Iranian president since the foreign-backed militancy gripped the Arab country in 2011. In the meeting with Assad on Wednesday, Raeisi noted that Iran will stand by its Syrian brothers in the post-war era of reconstruction as was the case during the fight against terrorism.