Iranian Minister of Industry Ali Akhbar Mehrabian has announced that Iran plans to invest $10 billion in Syria over the course of the next five years.  Mehrabian made his announcement shortly after returning from a visit in Syria.

Political analysts said the announcement could be connected to a recent IAF airstrike in Syria.  Some military officials and diplomats suspect that the target of the airstrike was a nuclear facility sponsored by Iran and North Korea.