Dhaka, May 1 -- Iran had a grand plan for Syria - taken right from the playbook of a country it considers its arch-enemy.

Just as the United States solidified its global dominance by investing billions in rebuilding Europe after the Second World War, Iran would do the same in the Middle East by reconstructing a war-ravaged Syria.

The ambitious program, outlined in a 33-page official Iranian study, makes several references to "The Marshall Plan," America's blueprint for resurrecting post-War Europe. The US strategy succeeded: It made Europe "reliant on America," a presentation accompanying the study says, by "creating economic, political and socio-cultural dependence."

The document, dated May 2022 and authored by an Iranian economic-pol...