Tag Archives: Iran

Hassan Firouzabadi (Fars, October 16, 2016).

Mohammad Ali Jafari, commander of the IRGC (Tasnim, October 18, 2016).

Mohammad-Reza Naqdi, commander of the Basij (Mehr, October 10, 2016).

Yahya Rahim Safavi (Asr-e Iran, October 17, 2016)

Saeed Bayazizadeh, an Iranian cleric killed in Syria (IRGC-affiliated Telegram channel, October 14, 2016).

Ali Shamkhani meets with Alexander Lavrentiev (Tasnim, October 10, 2016)

The outgoing Iranian ambassador to Syria bids farewell (ILNA, October 14, 2016).

Soleimani and senior Iraqi Shi'ites militiamen (ABNA, October 16, 2016)

Sheikh Akram al-Ka'bi meets with Ali-Akbar Velayati during a visit to Tehran (Tasnim, September 1, 2016).

Anti-Saudi Arabia cartoon published after the attack in Yemen (Fars, October 10, 2016).

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Main Points

Hassan Firouzabadi, senior military advisor to the supreme leader and former chief of staff of the Iranian armed forces, told the Iranian Fars news agency that the presence of Iranian advisors in Iraq and Syria, and Iran's support for Yemen and Hezbollah, manifested its revolutionary and religious ideology. He denied, however, that Iran meddled in other countries' internal affairs or sought to extend its territorial control. He confirmed Iran had sent advisors to the Gaza Strip and provided the Palestinians with guidance and technology.
Basij commander Mohammad-Reza Naqdi said it was Iran's duty to fight for the liberation of Palestine. As to the Iranian presence in Syria, he said if Iran did not fight in Syria, it would be forced to fight terrorists on its own soil.
Ali Shamkhani, the secretary of the Supreme Council for National Security, said Iran would continue providing the Palestinians with weapons.
Senior Iranian officials strongly rejected American Secretary of State John Kerry's claim that Iran's Syrian-Hezbollah policies had delayed the lifting of restrictions placed on Iranian banks, which was part of the nuclear deal. The deputy Iranian foreign minister said there was no connection whatsoever between Iran's regional policies and the nuclear agreement.
The deputy commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) said Iranians wanting to fight in Syria were pressuring the IRGC to accept them, but not everyone could be accepted.
Mohammad-Reza Raouf-Sheibani, completed his term of five years as ambassador to Syria. The Iranian media reported he would be replaced by Hossein Sheikholeslam, who served as ambassador to Damascus between 1998 and 2003, and today is advisor to the foreign minister.
Iran welcomed the start of the campaign to liberate Mosul from ISIS. As in the past, the Iranian media gave prominence to the participation of the Iraqi Shi'ite militias fighting under IRGC aegis and issued a number of interviews with senior Shi'ite militiamen, who stressed the importance of cooperation with Iran, especially with the IRGC.
Four Iranians were killed in a suicide bombing attack carried out by ISIS on October 21, 2016, at a power station north of Kirkuk in northern Iraq.
Following the escalation between American naval forces and Yemeni Shi'ite Houthis in the Gulf of Aden, senior Iranian officials denied that Iran had a military presence in Yemen. Iran also denied the claim of the American military that Iran could have been involved in missiles fired at American ships in the Red Sea.

General Information

Hassan Firouzabadi, whose command of the Iranian forces ended this past June and who is currently a senior military advisor to the supreme leader, denied to the Fars news agency on October 16 that Iran meddled in the internal affairs of regional states. He said Iran did not meddle in regional politics and absolutely was not planning to expand its control over territories belonging to other states. The presence of Iranian advisors in Iraq and Syria and Iran's support for Yemen and Hezbollah in Lebanon were, he claimed, a manifestation of its revolutionary and religious ideology, based on the need to defend Muslims and other oppressed peoples around the globe.
Hassan Firouzabadi said the concept of "exporting the revolution" referred to its ideological sense, not a physical or materialistic sense. Iran, he claimed, supported groups wishing to disseminate the ideals of revolutionary Islam in their own countries, and that should not pose a problem. He claimed that when rulers of regional states oppressed groups or individuals supporting that ideology, for example, when clerics were arrested as they had been in Saudi Arabia, Iran had to stand up for the groups or individuals and give them all the aid and support it could.
Regarding Iran's involvement in Iraq and Syria, he reiterated the Iranian position that the presence of advisors was at the governments' requests. He said Iraq had asked Iran for support, and Iran was duty-bound to provide it because most Iraqis were Shi'ites. When ISIS attacked Iraq and threatened to take control of Baghdad, Iran had to provide the Iraqi government with the equipment and advisors it had requested. That did not mean Iran was meddling in Iraq's internal affairs, rather, it was a response to a request from Iraq's legitimate government and an expression of friendship, brotherhood and bilateral cooperation. Iran did the same for the Syrian government, which asked Iran for aid in fighting the terrorist groups supported by the United States and its regional allies, that were attacking the central government in Damascus.
Regarding the situation in Yemen, he said Iran did not have a presence and had not deployed advisors to Yemen. After the Saudi Arabian attack, he claimed, Iran had provided political support for the revolutionaries in Yemen who represented the legitimate government and had sent humanitarian aid. He also claimed Iran's support of the oppressed Shi'ites in Bahrain was not intervention in its domestic affairs because Iran had no intention of taking over territories in Bahrain, only in supporting civil rights.
He also claimed Iran was not militarily involved in Palestine, even though that was its top priority. All Iran did was send advisors to the Gaza Strip, provide guidance and technology, medical attention for the wounded and support for the Palestinians wanting to liberate their land from the [so-called Israeli] occupation.
Mohammad Ali Jafari, commander of the IRGC, speaking at a conference in the northern part of Khorasan Province on October 18, said that despite the efforts of its enemies, Iran had become a world power by virtue of the firm stance of its citizens and fighters. He said Iran's enemies, especially the United States, had not achieved their goals in Syria and Iraq and knew that only Iran could solve Syria's problems and end its ongoing war. He added that the Zionists wanted to expand their control from the Nile to the Euphrates, but the establishment of Hezbollah in south Lebanon had foiled their plans. Not only had the Zionists been forced to withdraw from south Lebanon, he said, but they had to cope with many internal problems and the fear that was growing daily in the hearts of the Jews (Fars and Tasnim, October 18, 2016).
Basij commander Mohammad-Reza Naqdi said Palestine was in the hands of "usurpers" and it was Iran's duty to fight for its liberation. At a conference held to mark the anniversary of the death of senior IRGC official Hossein Hamedani, killed in Syria last year, Naqdi said that it was the duty of every Muslim to fight for the liberation of occupied Muslim lands. Regarding the Iranian presence in Syria, he said some people asked why the presence of Iranian military forces was necessary. The answer, he said, was that if Iran did not fight in Syria, the terrorists would attack its borders and it would be forced to fight them in Hamedan and Kermanshah Provinces. In addition, he said, Iran was responsible for defending Muslims, and all the Iranian fighters operating against the terrorists in Iraq and Syria hoped to die as martyrs (Asr-e Iran, October 10, 2016).
Yahya Rahim Safavi, former IRGC commander and currently a senior military advisor to the supreme leader, said that the American occupations of Afghanistan (2001) and Iraq (2003) benefitted Iran because its two main enemies, the Taliban in the east and the Baath regime in the west, had been destroyed, and that improved Iran's political balance.
Speaking at an international conference on geopolitical crises in the Muslim world, he said that the partition of some of the states in the region, such as Iraq, Syria, Libya and Yemen, was possible and that would serve the interests of Saudi Arabia and the United States. He added that one of the objectives of the foreign policy of the West and some of the regional states, among them Israel, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Jordan, was to change the regime in Syria and impose limitations on Hezbollah in Lebanon to increase regional insecurity and damage Iran's geopolitical position.
He said he hoped the cooperation between Iran, Russia, Syria, Iraq and Hezbollah in Syria and Iraq would bear the fruits desired by Iran, which would be victorious in Iraq and Syria and then be able to successfully fill its regional role (Asr-e Iran, October 17, 2016).
Hossein Amir Abdollahian, advisor to the speaker of the Majlis (the Iranian parliament) on international affairs, said Iran would continue its strong support for Syria and the regional "resistance front." At a religious ceremony held for the Shi'ite holiday of Ashura, he said that adherence to the ideology of the Shi'ite imams would bring victory to regional nations, especially to their brothers in Syria, Iraq and Yemen, in the fight against terrorism and Zionism. He also said that without a doubt, the "illegitimate regime of Israel" would be wiped off the map of the Middle East and that Jerusalem would be "liberated" (Mehr, October 14, 2016).
Abbas Araghchi, deputy Iranian foreign minister for international affairs, rejected the statement made by American Secretary of State John Kerry, who said that Iran's policies regarding Syria and Hezbollah were blocking efforts to lift the restrictions placed on Iranian banks by the United States in accordance with the nuclear agreement. He claimed that during the negotiations Iran had stressed that regional and security issues, as well as issues regarding missiles, could not be negotiated. He said Kerry was merely making excuses for the United States' unwillingness to implement its commitments to the nuclear agreement (Mehr, October 17, 2016).
Masoud Jazayeri, Iranian deputy chief of staff, also criticized John Kerry, claiming that the American regional presence was a "cancerous tumor" and the only way to cure it was for the United States to leave the Middle East. He said that if the United States wanted to extricate itself from its Middle Eastern dead end, it had to recognize its strategic mistakes, take responsibility for its thousands of criminal acts, and leave the region (Tasnim, October 16, 2016).

Iranian Intervention in Syria and Lebanon

Saeed Bayazizadeh, a 22 year-old Iranian cleric from Kerman Province, was killed in Syria on October 14, 2016.
On October 10, 2016, Ali Shamkhani, the secretary of the Supreme Council for National Security, met with Alexander Lavrentiev, Russian President Vladimir Putin's special envoy, to discuss developments in Syria. Shamkhani said that wiping out terrorism in Syria was a top priority, to be followed by paving the way for secure elections. He stressed the need to strengthen cooperation between Iran, Russia, Syria and the "resistance front" in the fight against terrorism and its supporters (Tasnim, October 10, 2016).
As part of the ongoing Iranian-Russian consultations regarding Syria, foreign minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and his Russian counterpart, Sergey Lavrov, held two phone calls (on October 11 and 13) to discuss the Syrian crisis. Both emphasized the need to increase international efforts to find a political resolution to the Syrian crisis (Asr-e Iran, October 12; Fars, October 13, 2016)
Rasoul Sanaei Rad, political deputy to the commander of the IRGC, said that many volunteers were pressuring the IRGC to be allowed to fight in Syria, and that not all could be accepted. He said that all IRGC fighters deployed to Syria were volunteers and that the regular army and the Basij were also deploying volunteers (Fararu, October 12, 2016)
Last week Mohammad-Reza Raouf-Sheibani completed his term as Iranian ambassador to Syria, after serving for five years. At a farewell meeting with Syrian Prime Minister Imad Mohammad Deeb Khamis, also attended by Syria's ministers of oil and economics, Khamis thanked Sheibani for his efforts to improve cooperation between the two countries. Sheibani praised the strategic collaboration between Iran and Syria (Mehr, October 14, 2016). Sheibani will apparently be replaced by Hossein Sheikholeslam, who was Iranian ambassador to Syria between 1998 and 2003, and who recently ended his role as foreign policy to the speaker of the Majlis and was appointed advisor to Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif.

Iranian Intervention in Iraq Iranian Intervention in Yemen

Four Iranians were killed in an ISIS suicide bombing attack on October 21, 2016, at a power station north of the city of Kirkuk in northern Iraq. In addition to the Iranians, at least 16 power plant workers were killed (Fars, October 21, 2016).
Iran welcomed the launch of the campaign to liberate Mosul from ISIS. Bahram Qasemi, spokesman for the Iranian foreign ministry, said Iran supported and would be party to any serious fight against regional terrorism, especially in neighboring countries. He said Iran respected Iraq's territorial integrity and national sovereignty and therefore supported every action taken by the Iraqi government to expel the terrorists. He said Iran would stand by the Iraqi people and government until complete liberation and the restoration of stability. Iran, he said, called on the countries involved in the fight against ISIS to take resolute action against the terrorists (Fars, October 17, 2016).
As in the campaigns to liberate Ramadi and Fallujah, since the start of the campaign to liberate Mosul the Iran media have given prominence to the Iraqi Shi'ite militias operating under the aegis of the IRGC, and at the same time have played down the importance of the involvement of the United States and the international coalition fighting ISIS. On October 16 the Iranian media released a picture of Qasem Soleimani, commander of the IRGC's Qods Force, with Abu-Mahdi al-Muhandis, deputy commander of the Iraqi Shi'ite militias, and other Shi'ite militia commanders. It is not clear where or when the picture was taken.
Ali-Akbar Velayati, advisor to the Iranian supreme leader for international affairs, said Iran was not directly involved in the campaign for Mosul. Meeting with the deputy foreign minister of Brazil he said that when requested, Iran had always provided advice for the Iraqi government but was in no way involved in Iraq's internal affairs. He said no foreign country had the right to become involved in the campaign to liberate Mosul (ISNA, October 19, 2016).
Sheikh Akram al-Ka'bi, secretary general of the Iraqi Shi'ite militias, the al-Nujaba movement, which operates on the fighting fronts both in Iraq and Syria, said that Iran was Iraq's main strategic partner and ally. He said he had recently visited Tehran to coordinate positions with senior Iranian officials regarding regional military and security developments and to examine ways of fighting terrorism. He added that the Iranian advisors in Iraq played an important role on the fighting front (Tasnim, October 13, 2016).
On October 18, 2016, Seyyed Hamed Jazayeri, commander of the Iraqi Shi'ite militias' 18th Brigade, told the Fars news agency that he greatly esteemed Qasem Soleimani, commander of the IRGC's Qods Force, calling him "a factory for the manufacture of Iraqi men." Jazayeri said Soleimani's presence in Iraq and Syria illustrated the concept of "one Islamic nation." He said Iran was training Shi'ite militias in Iraqi territory because it would not be simple to move thousands of fighters out of Iraq. He added that the presence of senior Iranian commanders and advisors in Iraq was vital for the establishment of the Shi'ite militias and that Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei was the leader of the entire Islamic nation and not just of Iran.
Iran strongly condemned the Saudi aerial attack on a packed funeral hall in Sanaa, the Yemeni capital, on October 8, 2016, which killed more than 140 mourners and wounded more than 500. Iranian President Hassan Rouhani condemned Saudi Arabia for "the gratuitous slaughter of women and children during the holy Muslim month of Muharram" (Press TV, October 11, 2016). Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif sent a communiqué to UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon strongly condemning the Saudi attack and proposing that the Iranian Red Crescent sent humanitarian aid to Yemen (Press TV, October 10, 2016).
Amir Ali Hajizadeh, commander of the IRGC air force, accused the United States and Israel of having been directly involved in the attack by providing intelligence (Tasnim, October 10, 2016).
On October 16, 2016, Hojjat-ul-Islam Ali Saidi, representative of the supreme leader to the IRGC, said in an interview with the IMNA news agency that the conditions in Yemen did not necessitate an IRGC presence. He said the IRGC had not been asked to provide aid and did not have plans to operate in Yemen. He said the Yemeni people and the Ansarallah movement (the Shi'ite Houthis) could respond to the "crimes" committed by the Saudi regime. He seconded the remarks of Hassan Firouzabadi, senior military advisor to the supreme leader, who, as noted, also said Iran did not have a presence in Yemen.
Iran also denied American military claims about possible Iranian involvement in missiles fired by Shi'ite Houthis at American naval vessels in the Red Sea. Bahram Qasemi, a spokesman for the Iranian foreign ministry, said the claims had no basis in fact, and it would be preferable for the American military forces to work to stop the massacre in Yemen carried out by their Saudi Arabian allies (IRNA, October 20, 2016).

Iranian Intervention in the Palestinian Arena

Ali Shamkhani, the secretary of the Supreme Council for National Security, said Iran would continue providing the Palestinians with weapons. He said weapons were supplied to "Palestinian resistance groups" according to directives from the highest political level in Iran to defend the Palestinians and increase their ability to defend themselves from "the attacks of the Zionist regime" (Mehr, October 21, 2016).

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^[*]Spotlight on Iran is an Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center bulletin illuminating Iran's activities to establish its influence in the Middle East and beyond. It is based on reports in the Iranian media and written for the ITIC by Dr. Raz Zimmt, an expert on Iran's politics, society, foreign policy and social networks.

Hostility towards Israel continues to be a fundamental element of Iranian foreign policy – Dr. Raz Zimmt

Published: 13/10/2016

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An Anti-Israeli Iranian poster (IRNA, July 1, 2015).

Overview

1. Iran's diplomatic charm offensive, which began in the summer of 2013 with the election of Hassan Rouhani as Iranian president, and the nuclear agreement signed with the Western powers in the summer of 2015, raised the question of whether Iran's foreign policy towards Israel had become more moderate. Generally speaking, Iranian policy is predicated on a revolutionary ideological vision, but in the past the Iranian regime has been pragmatic concerning its national and political interests. However, its foreign policy towards Israel remains unchanged.

2. President Rouhani's rhetoric towards Israel is more moderate than that of his predecessors and the issue of Israel does not seem to be one of his administration's high priorities. However, he is not the Iranian political system's final authority, and Iran's policies towards Israel, dictated by the supreme leader and the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), have clearly not changed. Senior Iranian officials have reacted harshly to hints of a change towards Israel, indicating that Iran's basic, uncompromising hostility to Israel remains a consistent element of the Islamic Republic's official foreign policy. During the past year, the Iranian leadership, led by Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, continually voiced strong anti-Israel statements, openly advocating the destruction of the State of Israel.

3. Hostility to Israel continues to be a major component of the Iranian regime's worldview and enjoys an almost total political consensus. Explicit threats against Israel are also made by senior members of the Iranian military establishment. On the sidelines of Iranian public discourse it is possible to discern the beginnings of change. This change, however, is limited to circles without substantial influence on Iranian foreign policy, among them pro-reform academics.

4. Iran's hostility towards Israel is not limited to propaganda but is also translated into action. Iran continues to encourage, promote and support anti-Israel terrorist activity, which is carried out by the Palestinian terrorist organizations and Hezbollah. Recent developments in Iraq and Syria have nevertheless compelled Iran to invest most of its effort in halting the spread of ISIS and in supporting and defending the Assad regime. To a great extent that has limited the Qods Force's ability to advance the Iranian regime's objectives for the Israeli-Palestinian arena. Iran continues, however, to promote terrorist activity against Israel, although not particularly extensively at this point.

5. Despite the crisis in Iran-Hamas relations which began with the beginning of the Syrian civil war, Iran is still committed to supporting the Palestinian military-terrorist campaign against Israel. During the past year senior Iranian officials reiterated Iran's commitment to supporting the Palestinians, especially in view of the renewed Israeli-Palestinian confrontation. Iran's financial aid to the Palestinians continues as well, and Iran has stated its intention to provide funds for Palestinian families whose members were killed by Israel. In the meantime, Iran also provides extensive support to Hezbollah, some of which is diverted to Hezbollah's military infrastructure in Lebanon, especially its rocket arsenal, earmarked for use at a future date in accordance with Iranian interests. Iran gives Hezbollah an estimated $200 million a year. It also provides Hezbollah with weapons, intelligence, logistic support and support for Hezbollah's extensive social welfare system (on June 24, 2016, Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah claimed that "Hezbollah's budget, salaries, funds, food, drink, arms, all come from Iran…as long as Iran has money, we will have money").

6. In Syria Iran uses local terrorist networks to foster anti-Israeli terrorism in the Golan Heights, exploiting the vacuum left by the Syrian regime's loss of control over the region. So far, Iran has failed to establish a significant terrorist network in the Golan Heights, due to Israel's ongoing counterterrorism efforts and Iran's need to concentrate the IRGC and its auxiliary Shi'ite forces on the campaign for Aleppo, currently Iran's top priority.

7. Not only did the nuclear agreementmake no change in Iran's policies toward Israel, to a great degree it encouraged Tehran to be more overtly hostile, proof of its ongoing adherence to the Islamic Revolution's ideology. Moreover, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict provides Iran with opportunities to bolster its regional hegemony and use hostility to Israel to enlist the support of public opinion, both at home and abroad. It is a win-win situation for Iran, which does not have to pay a price for its anti-Israel stance. Thus opposition to Israel can be expected to remain a central tenet of Iranian foreign policy. However, Iran's ability to promote its anti-Israel objectives depends on geostrategic circumstances, the future of its relations with the Palestinian terrorist organizations, especially Hamas, and on developments in combat zones where Iran is involved, especially Syria and Iraq.

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Qasem Soleimani speaking at a ceremony to mark the first anniversary of the death of Hossein Hamedani (Tasnim, October 5, 2016)

Morteza Qorbani (Mehr, September 27, 2016)

The commanders of the IRGC (center) and the Basij (right) present the "Man of the Resistance" award to Abdullah al-Marwani, Yemenite Houthi representative (Fars, September 30, 2016).

Mohammad Reza Zare' Alvani (Twitter, September 28, 2016)

Hadiya Khalaf Abbas meets with Hassan Rouhani (Tasnim, September 27, 2016)

Iraqi ambassador Musawi (left) and Rafsanjani (IRNA, October 4, 2016)

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Main Points

At least three Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) fighters were killed in Syria, one of them a lieutenant colonel in the Saberin special forces brigade.
Qasem Soleimani, commander of the IRGC's Qods Force, spoke at a ceremony held to mark the first anniversary of the death of Hossein Hamedani, a senior official in the IRGC killed in Syria. He said the Iranians fighting in Syria defended not only Syria but Islam and the Islamic Republic. He added that the main reason for Iran's support of Syria was Syria's support for Iran in the Iran-Iraq War.
Chief of staff of the Iranian armed forces said Iran had recently attacked targets in Iraq and Syria using long-range UAVs.
Hadiya Khalaf Abbas, speaker of the People's Council of Syria, visited Iran at the end of September and met with senior Iranian officials. Ali-Akbar Velayati, advisor to the Iranian supreme leader for international affairs, told her that Iran would support Syria "until victory has finally been achieved," according to the supreme leader's orders.
The advisor to the Majlis (the Iranian parliament) for international affairs said that in recent months Iran and Russia had countered American efforts to force them to end their support for Bashar Assad and to agree that he would not be a part of Syria's future.
Masoud Barzani, president of the Kurdish autonomous region in northern Iraq, is expected to pay an official visit to Tehran on October 12-13, 2016.
Iran foreign ministry's spokesman claimed Iran would never agree to recognize Israel or stop its support of the Palestinians. The remarks were made in response to an interview with Sigmar Gabriel, the German minister for economic affairs, which appeared in Der Spiegel on the eve of his visit to Tehran. Gabriel said that Iran's recognition of Israel was a precondition for the normalization of German-Iranian relations. In retaliation the Iranian foreign minister refused to meet with him.
Tehran held its annual "festival of resistance films," during which dozens of anti-Israel, anti-ISIS anti-Saudi Arabia and anti-American films were presented. At the end of the festival the commanders of the IRGC and the Basij awarded the "Man of the Resistance, 2016" prize to the leader of the Shi'ite Houthis in Yemen.
Mohammad Javad Zarif, Iranian foreign minister, gave a speech in the Majlis defending his foreign policy. He said he was proud that Qasem Soleimani, commander of the IRGC's Qods Force; Hassan Nasrallah, secretary general of Hezbollah; and Ramadan Shallah, head of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) called him every day to thank him for Iran's foreign policy.

General Information

Qasem Soleimani, commander of the IRGC's Qods Force, spoke at a ceremony held to mark the first anniversary of the death of Hossein Hamedani, a senior official in the IRGC killed in Syria. He said the main reason for Iran's support of Syria was Syria's support of Iran in the Iran-Iraq War. He said the Iranians fighting in Syria defended not only Syria but Islam and the Islamic Republic, adding that ISIS and the takfiri Islamic groups had been established to fight Iran, not Syria, He also said that like Iran, the Shi'ite militias in Iraq and Ansar Allah (the Shi'ite Houthis) in Yemen were today continuing the path of the third Shi'ite Imam Hossein, killed with his followers in the battle of Karbala in 680 A.D.
Mohammad Bagheri, chief of staff of the Iranian armed forces, said Iran had recently used long-range UAVs to attack targets in Iraq and Syria. Speaking at the opening of the academic year of Iran's Supreme National Defense University in Tehran, he said the UAVs had made precision attacks on targets of one square meter, a military capability possessed by only a few countries. He said Russia was helping Iran develop the technology necessary for the war on terrorism in Syria and Iraq (Fars, September 25, 2016).
Morteza Qorbani, senior advisor to the Iran's chief of staff, said in an interview with Iranian news agency Mehr that by establishing the "resistance front" in Syria, Iraq, Yemen and the Gaza Strip, Iran had foiled Western intentions to occupy Syria, defeat Hezbollah and eventually topple the Iranian regime. He said Ayatollah Khomeini, the founder of the Islamic Revolution, had not achieved the liberation of Karbala and Jerusalem during his lifetime, but with the help of Allah, in the near future the holy cities of Jerusalem, Mecca and al-Madinah would be liberated (Mehr, September 27, 2016).
The 14^th annual "festival of resistance films" was held in Tehran at the end of September 2016. The closing ceremony was held on September 30 and attended by Mohammad Ali Jafari, commander of the IRGC, and Mohammed Reza Naqdi, commander of the IRGC's Basij militia. They awarded the "Man of the Resistance, 2016" prize to the leader of Yemen's Houthis Abdul-Malik al-Houthi. Also in attendance were Fatemeh Mughnieh, the daughter of Imad Mughnieh (killed in Syria in 2008), and Zaynab Soleimani, the daughter of Qasem Soleimani, commander of the IRGC's Qods Force. Dozens of anti-Israeli, anti-Zionist anti-ISIS, anti-Saudi Arabia and anti-American films were presented at the festival (Fars, September 30, 2016).
Mohammad Javad Zarif, the Iranian foreign minister, gave a speech to the Majlis where he said he was proud that Qasem Soleimani, commander of the IRGC's Qods Force; Hassan Nasrallah, secretary general of Hezbollah; and Ramadan Shallah, leader of the PIJ called him daily to thank him for Iran's foreign policy. He also said that he was personally opposed to holding an international Holocaust convention in Tehran because it would only serve the interests of the "Zionist regime" and not the Palestinian people (Entekhab, October 2, 2016).

Iranian Intervention in Syria and Lebanon

At least three IRGC fighters were killed in Syria during the past two weeks. One was Mohammad Reza Zare' Alvani, a lieutenant colonel in the Saberin special forces brigade.
Hadiya Khalaf Abbas, the speaker of the Syrian parliament, visited Iran on September 26, 2016. While there she met with senior Iranian officials to discuss developments in Syria. Ali Larijani, speaker of the Iranian Majlis, said the United States was fraudulent in its dealings with the ceasefire in Syria and the American attack on the Syrian army posts in Deir al-Zor proved that the United States supported the terrorists. He claimed Iran supported a diplomatic solution to the crisis in Syria (Tasnim, September 26, 2016).
Ali-Akbar Velayati, advisor to the Iranian supreme leader for international affairs, told Abbas that Iran would continue its support of Syria "until victory has finally been achieved." He said the supreme leader had put the defense of Syria on Iran's agenda and that the Iranian government was providing Syria with the necessary support (Tasnim, September 26, 2016).
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani also promised Abbas that Iran would continue providing Syria with support to fight terrorism. He said Iran regarded the preservation of the territorial integrity of the regional countries, Syria among them, as a fundamental principle, and that the Syrians had to be helped to rid their country of terrorism (Tasnim, September 27, 2016).

Alaeddin Boroujerdi, chairman the Majlis national security and foreign policy committee, said the United States should know that Iran, Syria and Russia's joint anti-terrorism policy was fixed and could not be changed. He made the statement in reply to an American announcement of the suspension of contacts with Russia regarding the war in Syria because Moscow had not honored its commitments during the last ceasefire. He claimed American foreign policy in Syria showed open support for terrorist groups and that the United States used the ceasefire to strengthen those groups (Fars, October 4, 2016).
Hossein Amir Abdollahian, international affairs advisor to the speaker of the Majlis, claimed Iran and Russia had successfully countered American efforts to end Iranian-Russian support for Syrian President Bashar Assad. He said during his meeting with the speaker of the Syrian parliament that in recent months the United States had indirectly tried to convince Iran to agree that Assad should not be a part of Syria's future. He added that the continued refusal of Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei to negotiate with the United States on regional issues had prevented America from forcing Iran to stop supporting Assad (Fars, September 28, 2016).

Iranian Intervention in Iraq Iranian Intervention in Yemen

On October 1, 2016, the Iranian Fars news agency reported that Masoud Barzani, president of the Kurdish autonomous region in northern Iraq, and Nechervan Idris Barzani, prime minister of the Kurdistan regional government, would pay an official visit to Tehran on October 12-13, 2016. They will meet with senior Iranian officials to discuss bilateral relations and the fight against terrorism, in preparation for the campaign to liberate the Iraqi city Mosul from ISIS.
The London-based newspaper al-Sharq al-Awsat reported on September 30, 2016, that the leaders of the Sunni Arab tribes in northern Iraq opposed the intervention of Iran and the Iranian-supported Shi'ite militias in the upcoming campaign to liberate Mosul. A tribal leader from Nineveh Province said the Arab tribes in Mosul and Nineveh would not stand for an Iranian presence in the region.
Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, Chairman of the Expediency Discernment Council, met with Rajah al-Musawi, Iraq's ambassador to Tehran. Rafsanjani said he welcomed ISIS's retreat from Iraq but added that Iraq's enemies would continue trying to divide the country and cause internal disputes among Iraqi Shi'ites to weaken their influence. He said that dividing Iraq between Shi'ites, Sunnis, Kurds, Arabs and Turkmen would damage its territorial integrity and turn it into three small, weak states (IRNA, October 4, 2016).
Ali-Akbar Velayati, advisor to the Iranian supreme leader for international affairs, also met with the Iraqi ambassador. Velayati told Musawi that their enemies sought to weaken the ties between the two countries. He said that their close ties were based on a common religion, history and culture. The two discussed bilateral relations and international and regional cooperation (Tasnim, October 3, 2016).
Velayati also met last week with an EU delegation visiting Tehran. They discussed the upcoming campaign to liberate Mosul from ISIS, and he told the delegates that Iran did not intend to participate actively in the fighting. He said Iran's military presence in Iraq was limited to advising the Iraqi government, without intervention. He also said that the approaching visit to Iran of Masoud Barzani, the president of the Kurdish autonomous region in Iraq, was not related to the campaign for Mosul and that Barzani was coming to Iran as the regional leader of northern Iraq and as an old friend of Iran (Tasnim, October 5, 2016).

Iranian Intervention in the Palestinian Arena

Iran informed Germany that it would never accept recognition of the State of Israel or ending Iranian support of the Palestinians as conditions for the normalization of relations between Tehran and Berlin. Bahram Qasemi, spokesman for the Iranian foreign ministry, said the relations between Iran and Germany were based on mutual respect and common interests, and that Iran would not agree to preconditions in its relations with Berlin. He said Iran's support for the Palestinian cause and defense of the Palestinian people's rights were fundamental to its foreign policy (Press News, October 1, 2016). Qasemi made the remarks in response to an interview given by Sigmar Gabriel, the German minister for economic affairs, to Der Spiegel on the eve of his visit to Tehran. Gabriel said that Iran's recognition of Israel was a precondition for the normalization of German-Iranian relations.
Mohammad Javad Zarif, the Iranian foreign minister, also responding to Minister Gabriel, said that Iran was independent and no other country could dictate terms to it. He told newspaper correspondents that Iran's foreign policy was fixed and based on Iran's ideology, and that visitors to Tehran were aware of the situation (Fars, October 2, 2016). The Iranian media reported that in protest to the German minister's remarks, Zarif refused to meet with him during his visit to Tehran (Mehr, October 4, 2016).
Senior Hamas official Ismail Radwan told the Lebanese TV station al-Mayadeen that that Hamas' relations with Iran had not been broken off and that Hamas needed Iran's continuing support of the "Palestinian resistance" (Tasnim, October 2, 2016).

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[*]Spotlight on Iran is an Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center bulletin illuminating Iran's activities to establish its influence in the Middle East and beyond. It is based on reports in the Iranian media and written for the ITIC by Dr. Raz Zimmt, an expaert on Iran's politics, society, foreign policy and social networks.

Qasem Soleimani at a meeting of IRGC commanders and the supreme leader on September 18, 2016 (Fars).

Morteza Ataei (right) standing next to Qasem Soleiman (Qasemsoliemani,Islamic Revolution,

Jaberi Ansari (left) and Bashar Assad (Fars, September 19, 2016)

Nobakht meets with families of Iranians killed in Syria (Etedaleshomal.ir, September 16, 2016).

Niri and Nasrallah (Tasnim, September 14, 2016)

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Main Points

An Iranian commander in the Afghan Fatemiyoun Battalion, which operates in conjunction with the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) in Syria, was killed near Latakia.
Senior Iranian officials accused the United States of responsibility for the collapse of the ceasefire in Syria. Prior to it Iran strongly criticized American foreign policy in Syria, accusing Washington of violating its commitments to the ceasefire. The criticism was particularly harsh after American planes accidentally attacked Syrian army posts near Deir al-Zor. A spokesman for the Iranian foreign ministry claimed the attacks, which killed dozens of Syrian soldiers, proved the United States supported the terrorists in Syria.
Jaberi Ansari, Iranian deputy foreign minister for Arab-African affairs, visited Syria last week, where he met with President Assad and the leaders of Palestinian groups in Syria.
Iran rejected Saudi Arabian accusations that it had sent arms to the forces fighting in Yemen. Iran also denied reports that the United States had signaled Iran that Washington and Moscow would like to discuss the crisis in Yemen with Tehran.
The Saudi Arabian-backed London newspaper al-Sharq al-Awsat reported that Iran was trying to influence the election of Hamas' new chairman and promote Ismail Haniya, who is considered close to Iran.
On September 15, 2016, Qasem Soleimani, commander of the IRGC's Qods Force, announced he planned to remain a "soldier" in the service of the Islamic Republic, a hint he was not planning to run for president in the May 2017 elections. The unusual announcement was made amid reports that Iran's conservative camp was planning to propose him as a candidate. It was also made in response to remarks made by former American diplomat Dennis Ross, who claimed in an interview with a Saudi newspaper that an increase in pressure exerted on Iran might strengthen the moderates in the government and weaken the extremists in the IRGC, including Soleimani.

General Information

On September 15, 2016, Qasem Soleimani, commander of the IRGC's Qods Force, announced he planned to remain a "soldier" in the service of the Islamic Republic, a hint he was not planning to run in the upcoming elections for president. He made the announcement to contradict "enemy reports" whose objective was to cause a rift and factionalize Iran internally. He said he intended to remain a "soldier" in the service of the supreme leader, the regime and the Iranian nation for the rest of his life (Fars, September 15, 2016). The unusual announcement was made amid reports issued in recent months in the Iranian and Western media about the intention of the conservative camp to propose him as a candidate in the presidential elections scheduled for May 2017. The announcement was also made in response to remarks recently made by former American diplomat Dennis Ross during an interview with the Saudi newspaper Al-Majalla. Ross claimed that increasing pressure on Iran regarding its regional foreign policy might strengthen the moderate camp, led by President Rouhani, and weaken the extremist elements within IRGC, including Soleimani.

Iranian Intervention in Syria and Lebanon

On September 11, 2016, the Iranian media reported that Morteza Ataei, aka Abu Ali, a high-ranking Iranian commander in the Afghan Fatemiyoun Battalion, which operates in conjunction with the IRGC in Syria, was killed near the city of Latakia. Pictures on Iran news websites and posted to the social networks showed him in the company of Qasem Soleimani, commander of the IRGC's Qods Force.
Senior Iranian officials accused the United States of responsibility for the collapse of the ceasefire in Syria. On September 21, 2016, Hossein Jaberi Ansari, Iranian deputy foreign minister for Arab-African affairs, told the Tasnim news agency that the ceasefire depended on American transparency and candor regarding the fight against terrorist groups, and that the American aerial strike on Syrian army posts in Deir al-Zor raised serious questions about the intentions and goals of the United States for the end of the war in Syria. He said its continuing support for terrorist groups in Syria would make it impossible to maintain a ceasefire.
Iran publicly welcomed the agreement leading to the end of the hostilities in Syria, reached after months of American-Russian discussions. Bahram Qasemi, spokesman for the Iranian foreign ministry, said Iran had always supported efforts to reach a ceasefire in Syria and to allow the Syrians to receive humanitarian assistance. However, he said, the ceasefire depended on establishing a mechanism for oversight and inspection, especially of the borders, to prevent the delivery of weapons and support for the "terrorist groups" operating in the country (Fars, September 11, 2016).
Jaberi Ansari, Iranian deputy foreign minister for Arab-African affairs, also said Iran supported the ceasefire, and that his country would support a ceasefire and a plan for peace that would end the humanitarian distress in Syria and pave the way for a political resolution of the national crisis, based on the will of the Syrian people. He said, however, that Iran was not a party to the agreement and would therefore bear no responsibility for or commitment to it. He added that the Iranian position on any agreement depended on the receipt of detailed information about its terms, but Iran supported any agreement acceptable to the Syrian government and people (Fars, September 11, 2016).
Shortly after the ceasefire went into effect senior Iranian officials were harshly critical of the United States, claiming it did not honor its commitments. Hossein Amir Abdollahian, special Majlis (Iranian parliament) advisor on international affairs, said the White House wanted a ceasefire in Syria so it could rescue the terrorists besieged by the Syrian army in the region of Aleppo. He said that when the Shi'ite villagers in Fua and Kefraya were besieged by terrorists and suffered grave humanitarian hardships, the United States completely ignored them and did nothing to lift the siege (YJC.ir, September 14, 2016).
Masoud Jazayeri, deputy chief of staff of the Iranian armed forces, also criticized American foreign policy in Syria, claiming the United States could not be trusted any more than the terrorists. As to the ceasefire, he said that the other side absolutely could not be trusted, but that every effort had to be made to keep the war and bloodshed from continuing (Fars, September 14, 2016).
Iran's criticism of the United States became harsher during the past week when an air strike carried out by the American-led coalition accidentally attacked Syrian army posts in the Deir al-Zor region. Hossein Amir Abdollahian claimed the United States did not honor its commitments to the ceasefire. He claimed America supported al-Nusra Front and that the Americans' only goal was to depose Syrian President Assad (Asr-e Iran, September 17, 2016). Meeting with Adnan Mahmoud, the Syrian ambassador to Tehran, Abdollahian said Iran would support every measure promoting calm and stability in Syria. He said the countries that supported the terrorist groups had to reconsider their policies and realize that their policy was harming both them and the states in the region (Fars, September 19, 2016).
After the aerial strike in Deir al-Zor, which killed dozens of Syrian soldiers, Bahrem Qasemi, spokesman for the Iranian foreign ministry, said it had violated international conventions as well as Syrian independence and sovereignty, and threatened the ceasefire. He added that it showed the terrorist groups operating in Syria had the collaboration and support of the United States (Tasnim, September 18, 2016).
On September 19, 2016, Jaberi Ansari, Iranian deputy foreign minister for Arab-African Affairs, visited Syria. He participated in a meeting of the joint Iranian-Syrian political committee, and met with President Assad and the leaders of the Palestinian groups in Syria (ISNA, September 19, 2016). Meeting with President Assad, Ansari said that Iran would continue supporting the Syrian fight against terrorism (Tasnim, September 20, 2016).

Mohammad Bagher Nobakht, spokesman for the Iranian government and head of the plan and budget organization, said that Syria was "the forward trench [in the battle] against the occupying Zionist regime." Meeting with the families of IRGC fighters from Gilan Province who had been killed in Syria, he spoke of the importance of Syria for Iran, and said that the survival of "the Islamic resistance front" depended on the survival of Syria (Tasnim, September 16, 2016).
In the middle of September Reza Niri chairman of Iran's medical charity, went to Lebanon. He met with Hassan Nasrallah, secretary general of Hezbollah, who asked for Iranian health and medical support of Lebanon to continue. Nasrallah thanked him for the largesse the Iranian medical charity had shown Lebanon during the past thirty years (Tasnim, September 14, 2016).

Iranian Intervention in Iraq Iranian Intervention in Yemen

Bahram Qasemi, spokesman for the Iranian foreign ministry, denied reports in the Iranian media that the United States had signaled Iran that Washington and Moscow might hold talks with Tehran over the crisis in Yemen (IRNA, September 17, 2016).
Iran strongly rejected Saudi Arabian accusations that it had sent arms to the forces fighting in Yemen. The Iranian mission to the UN said in an announcement that the claims raised by the Saudis in a complaint lodged with the president of the Security Council were baseless. It was Saudi Arabia, said the announcement, that was committing war crimes against innocent Yemeni civilians and violating international law. In addition, Iran found it surprising that Saudi Arabia had lodged a complaint with the security force about the use of arms in Yemen at a time when it had itself bought tens of billions of dollars worth of arms to use against the Yemeni people (Mehr, September 18, 2016).

Iranian Intervention in the Palestinian Arena

On September 15, 2016, the Saudi-backed London newspaper al-Sharq al-Awsat reported that Iran was trying to influence the election of Hamas' new chairman and promote Ismail Haniya, who is considered close to Tehran.
According to Palestinian sources of uncertain reliability, Iran is trying to have Haniya replace Khaled Mashal as Hamas chairman in the internal elections to be held at the end of 2016. Qasem Soleimani, commander of the IRGC's Qods Force was allegedly leading the Iranian efforts. According to the sources, a month ago Soleimani made one of his aides responsible for coordinating the efforts with Hamas, the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, and the Shi'ite al-Saberin movement in the Gaza Strip to have Haniya elected. The Palestinian sources told the paper that despite the fact that Soleimani was heavily invested in the ongoing fighting in Syria, he continued to monitor developments in the Palestinian arena.

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[*]Spotlight on Iran is an Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center bulletin illuminating Iran's activities to establish its influence in the Middle East and beyond. It is based on reports in the Iranian media and written for the ITIC by Dr. Raz Zimmt, an expert on Iran's politics, society, foreign policy and social networks.

Hamid Mokhtas-Abadi (IRNA, August 30, 2016).

Bartolone and Rafsanjani (ILNA, September 6, 2016)

Ahmad Gholami, IRGC commander, killed in Syria (Fars, August 31, 2016)

Qasem Soleimani in south Aleppo (Twitter account, September 6, 2016)

Al-Kaabi and Ali-Akbar Velayati (Tasnim, September 1, 2016).

The Iranian delegation meets with Hamas' representative in Beirut (IRNA, September 1, 2016).

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Main Points

Senior Iranian officials recently stated that Iran would not agree to cut off the support Iran gave through the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) to the "resistance front" as part of the negotiations held with the Financial Action Task Force (FATF).[1]The statements were in response to increasing criticism from opponents of President Hassan Rouhani to the negotiations with FATF, whose objective is to take Iran off the organization's blacklist. This past July Abbas Araghchi, Iran's deputy foreign minister, said Iran would not sacrifice Hezbollah on the altar of negotiations with FATF.
At least six IRGC fighters were killed in Syria during the past two weeks, two of them high-ranking officers.
Qasem Soleimani, commander of the IRGC's Qods Force, went to south Aleppo this past week and met with fighters from the Iraqi Shi'ite Harakat al-Nujaba militia to discuss the military campaign waged by supporters of the Assad regime.
Sheikh Akram al-Kaabi, leader of the Iraqi Shi'ite Harakat al-Nujaba militia, met with senior Iranian officials in Tehran. He said in an interview that the presence of Qods Force commander Qasem Soleimani was vital to the continuation of the military campaign against ISIS in Iraq.
Kurdish sources in northern Iraq reported that an Iranian delegation had arrived in Iraq at the beginning of September to mediate internal disagreements between the two factions of the Patriotic Union of Kurds (PUK).
A delegation of Iranian diplomats met with a Hamas representative in Beirut at the beginning of September to discuss developments in the Palestinian arena and Iran-Hamas relations. The head of the Iranian delegation said Iran would continue its support of the Palestinians against the "Zionist occupation."

General Information

Hamid Mokhtas-Abadi, deputy commander of the Qods Force, said the Iranians fighting in Syria and Iraq were defending not only local shrines but rather "all humanity." He said the Europeans were in debt to the Iranian fighters, because without them many European capitals would today be occupied by takfiri terrorists. He said the Americans were well aware that the Iranians fighting in Syria and Iraq deserved medals for their fight against terrorism and defense of humanity (IRNA, August 30, 2016).
Mansour Haqiqatpour, advisor to the speaker of the Majlis (the Iranian parliament), said Iran would not agree to cut off the support the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) gave the "resistance front" as part of negotiations held with the Financial Action Task Force (FATF). He said Iran regarded Hezbollah and Hamas as "freedom fighter" organizations and that Iran was committed to supporting them based on Islam, Islamic Revolution ideology and the Iranian constitution (Mehr, September 4, 2016).
Mohsen Kouhkan, member of the Majlis, also said Iran was determined to continue its support of the "resistance forces," especially Hezbollah. He said the agreement currently being worked out between Iran and FATF was a "Zionist-American plot" to sabotage Hezbollah and ensure Israel's security. Iran, he said, would not allow the Zionists to realize their plans (Tasnim, September 4, 2016).
The remarks of Haqiqatpour and Kouhkan were made in the midst of the growing criticism of Iranian president Rouhani's political rivals over the negotiations with FATF. His rivals claim the Iranian government is prepared to agree to make extensive concessions to have Iran removed from the FATF blacklist. Criticism has recently increased in the wake of Iranian news reports that two Iranian banks, Bank Mellat and Bank Sepah, had announced they were suspending financial services to the Revolutionary Guards Khatam al-Anbiyah construction arm, due to the international economic sanctions imposed on IRGC-controlled bodies. Rouhani's opponents claimed the banks had made the announcements to pave the way for an Iran-FATF agreement.
In July 2016 Abbas Araghchi, deputy Iranian foreign minister, stated that Iran would not agree to sacrifice Hezbollah on the altar of the negotiations with FATF and would continue supporting the "axis of resistance." He said Iran regarded its security and national interests as a red line in the FATF negotiations and that supporting the "axis of resistance" was a top priority whose status would not be changed. He said there were other countries whose definition of "terrorism" differed from that of FATF (Fars, July 12, 2016). It is probable that despite the Iran-FATF negotiations, there will be no significant change in Iran's support of terrorist organizations, especially Hezbollah
nMeeting with Claude Bartolone, president of the French National Assembly, Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, chairman of the Iranian Expediency Discernment Council, claimed that without Iran, Baghdad and Damascus would have fallen to ISIS. He claimed the deterioration of the regional conditions provided fertile ground for the "Zionist regime" to commit more crimes and make greater threats (Mehr, September 7, 2016).

Iranian Intervention in Syria and Lebanon

At least six IRGC fighters were killed in Syria during the past two weeks. Among them were two officers: Ahmad Gholami, who served as a high-ranking IRGC commander during the Iran-Iraq War, was killed near Aleppo; and Dariush Dorosti, was killed in the city of Hamat.
Qasem Soleimani, commander of the IRGC's Qods Force, went to south Aleppo last week. In allegedly recent photos posted by Iranian websites and social networks on September 6, 2016, Soleimani appeared with fighters from the Iraqi Shi'ite Harakat al-Nujaba militia, which is operating in Syria. Syrian military sources reported that Soleimani had come to discuss details of the military offensive waged in south Aleppo by supporters of the Assad regime (Al-Masdar News, September 7, 2016).
Ali Balvi, municipal council chairman of the Syrian Shi'ite town of Nubl, said that humanitarian aid from Iran had been distributed to the residents of Nubl and al-Zahra in the Aleppo district. On September 3, 2016, the Iranian news agency Fars reported that in June 2016 Doctors Without Borders had appealed to Iran for medical assistance for the towns that had been under siege by the rebels. They were liberated in February 2016 by the Syrian forces with the aid of Iran and Hezbollah. In the middle of May 2016 the deputy director of the Iranian Red Crescent reported that during the past year Iran had sent more than 46 tons of humanitarian aid to Syria, including food, tents and blankets.

Iranian Intervention in Iraq

Sheikh Akram al-Kaabi, leader of the Iraqi Shi'ite Harakat al-Nujaba militia, said in an interview with Tasnim News that the presence in Iraq of Qasem Soleimani, commander of the IRGC's Qods Force, was vital to the continuation of the country's military campaign against ISIS. He said Soleimani had officially been invited to Iraq by the Iraqi government and that he was providing advice for all its military actions. "Qasem Soleimani," he said, "is part of the resistance front all over the globe." Al-Kaabi, who went to Tehran at the end of August and met with senior Iranian officials, said that the Shi'ite militias in Iraq were capable of liberating Mosul without help from foreigners. He added that they had already been victorious over ISIS by virtue of the fact that they had been established on the model of the Basij forces (the Iranian paramilitary militia). He said that even after the liberation of Mosul the militias would continue operating, either under their current name or with another (Tasnim, August 28, 2016).
Ali-Akbar Velayati, advisor to the Iranian supreme leader for international affairs, met with al-Kaabi on September 1, 2016. He told al-Kaabi that Iran's supreme leader had granted the Iraqi government's official request for aid. He said that cooperation between Iran and Iraq could rescue the region from the United States and the "Zionist regime." Without such cooperation, he said, Syria could not be saved, and without cooperation between Iran, Iraq and Syria, Lebanon could not be saved. He called it a "chain of resistance," and if even one link was missing the entire chain would break. He said the participation of the Iraqi Shi'ite militias in the upcoming campaign to liberate Mosul was important, adding that cities the militias had helped liberate remained almost intact while cities where the Americans had participated in the liberation had been destroyed (ISNA, September 2, 2016).
Kurdish sources in northern Iraq reported that an Iranian delegation had arrived in Sulemaniya in northern Iraq on September 2, 2016, to mediate the internal disagreements that had recently arisen between the two factions of the Patriotic Union of Kurds (PUK). The members of the delegation met separately with representatives of both factions in an effort to reach a compromise (Rudaw, September 2, 2016).

Iranian Intervention in the Palestinian Arena

An Iranian diplomatic delegation headed by Mohammad Majidi, first advisor of the Iran embassy in Lebanon, met with Ali Barakeh, Hamas representative in Beirut. They discussed developments in the Palestinian arena and Hamas-Iran relations. Barakeh noted the importance of strengthening Hamas' relations with Iran in supporting the "resistance of Palestine." Majidi said that Iran would continue supporting the Palestinians against the "Zionist occupation" to put an end to the siege of the Gaza Strip and defend Jerusalem and Al-Aqsa mosque (IRNA, September 1, 2016).

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^[1]Spotlight on Iran is an Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center bulletin illuminating Iran's activities to establish its influence in the Middle East and beyond. It is based on reports in the Iranian media and written for the ITIC by Dr. Raz Zimmt, an expert on Iran's politics, society, foreign policy and social networks.

Russian bombers deployed in Iran (Fars, August 16, 2016).

Alaeddin Boroujerdi, chairman of the Majlis committee for national security and foreign policy (Tasnim, August 24, 2016).

Ali-Akbar Velayati (Tasnim, August 7, 2016).

Mohammad Ali Falaki (Mashreq News, August 18, 2016).

Ali Shamkhani meets with Karim Sinjari (Tasnim, August 14, 2016).

Mohammad Bagheri (Mehr, August 17, 2016)

Mohammad Javad Zarif and Salim al-Jabouri (center) (Fars, August 20, 2016).

Khaled al-Qadoumi, Hamas representative in Tehran (Mehr, August 15, 2016)

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Main Points

Iran allowed the Russian air force to use its base at Hamedan (western Iran) for air strikes in Syria. The Iranian defense minister said Iran would allow Russian planes to use the airfield as long as necessary, but had reservations about the publication of Russian planes' deployment by the Russian ministry of defense. Iranian foreign ministry's spokesman said that the Russian presence in Hamedan was temporary and had ended for the time being. The chairman of the Majlis (Iranian parliament) committee for national security and foreign policy said the Russian planes were stationed in Hamedan within the Iranian-Russian cooperation drawn up by the joint operations room which has been operating during the past year in Damascus and Baghdad.
Ali-Akbar Velayati, international advisor to the Iranian supreme leader, claimed that ousting Syrian President Bashar Assad was no longer on the Western agenda. He claimed that increased Iranian, Russian and Turkish cooperation would strengthen the Syrian government in its fight against terrorism.
A high ranking commander in the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) claimed Iran had established a "Shi'ite liberation army" operating in Syria, Iraq and Yemen under the command of Qasem Soleimani, the commander of the IRGC's Qods Force. He said the objective of the "liberation army" was to ensure that Israel would not exist within 23 years. .
The secretary of Iraq's supreme national security council, the speaker of the Iraqi parliament and the minister of the interior of Iraqi Kurdistan paid a visit to Tehran. Senior Iranian officials told them Iran was committed to supporting Iraq, stressing that its territorial integrity was important to Iran. The office of Iraqi Kurdistan's President Masoud Barzani announced that he had accepted Tehran's invitation to visit Iran and planned a visit in the near future.
Osama Hamdan, responsible for Hamas' international relations, claimed the relations between Iran and Hamas had improved. He denied a report in a Saudi Arabian-sponsored newspaper that Tehran had conditioned Iran's continued financial support of Hamas on a pledge of loyalty to Iran.

General Information

Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, parliamentary director general for international affairs, told the visiting Norwegian foreign minister that Iran would continue to "advise" Iraq and Syria in their fight against terrorism. He said President Assad was prepared to negotiate with the opposition but that he could not be expected to turn the reins of government over to his opponents and remain apathetic to the violation of the security and stability of his country and to the ongoing terrorist attacks carried out by foreign elements. Hossein Amir-Abdollahian also noted developments in Bahrain and strongly criticized the decision of the Bahraini authorities to revoke the citizenship of senior Shi'ite cleric Sheikh Issa Qassem (Fars, August 18, 2016).

Iranian Intervention in Syria and Lebanon

On August 16, 2016, the Russian ministry of defense confirmed that Russia had stationed bombers at the Iranian air force base in Hamedan (western Iran) and had begun using them in air strikes in Syria. Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoygu told the Russian media that on August 16, 2016, the first Russian planes had taken off from the airfield in Hamedan to attack terrorist targets in Syria. He said Tu-22M3 strategic bombers and Su-34 strike fighter jets had attacked ISIS and Jabhat Fateh al-Sham targets in Aleppo, Deir al-Zor and Idlib Governates, destroying headquarters and training camps, and killing many terrorists (Sputnik, August 16, 2016).
According to Russian, Iranian and Arab reports, the planes were too large to be accommodated by the Russian air base in Syria and the objective of stationing them in western Iran was to shorten flights to Syrian targets. There was no report of the number of Russian planes at Hamedan. Ali Shamkhani, the secretary of the Supreme Council for National Security, confirmed that permission had been given for Russian bombers to use the base at Hamedan. In answer to questions from Iranian journalists/, Shamkhani said Tehran-Moscow cooperation in fighting terrorism in Syria was strategic and the two countries shared their capabilities and facilities (Fars, August 16, 2016). Hossein Dehqan, the Iranian defense minister, told in a televised interview that Iran would permit Russian planes to use the airfield in Hamedan as long as necessary. However, he expressed reservations regarding an announcement made by the Russian ministry of defense confirming the deployment of Russian planes to Hamedan (Fars, August 20, 2016). On August 22, 2016, Bahram Ghasemi, Iran's foreign ministry's spokesman, said the presence of the Russian planes in Hamedan had been temporary and that they were no longer there (Tasnim, August 22, 2016).
Alaeddin Boroujerdi, chairman of the Majlis committee for national security and foreign policy, told a press conference that the presence of the Russian planes at Hamedan was within the Iranian-Russian cooperation drawn up by the joint operations room. The room, he said, had operated during the past year in Damascus and Baghdad and had been set up by Iran, Russia, Syria and Iraq to fight terrorism (Tasnim, August 24, 2016).
As part of the increasing Russian-Iranian cooperation in the campaign in Syria, Mikhail Bogdanov, the Russian president's special envoy for Middle Eastern affairs, visited Tehran in the middle of August and met with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif to discuss developments in Syria (Asr-e Iran, August 16, 2016).
On August 23, 2016, Hossein Jaberi Ansari, deputy foreign minister for Arab-African affairs, visited Ankara to discuss developments in Syria with Turkish officials (IRNA, August 23, 2016). The visit was preceded by a surprise visit of Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu, the Turkish foreign minister, in Tehran on August 18, 2016, also held to discuss developments in Syria.
After meeting with the Norwegian foreign minister in Tehran, Ali-Akbar Velayati, international advisor to the Iranian supreme leader, told a press conference that ousting Syrian President Bashar Assad was no longer on the Western agenda. He claimed that without a doubt, the Iranian-Russian-Turkish cooperation would strengthen the Syrian government, expel the terrorists from Syria, and prevent the country from being divided (Tasnim, August 17, 2016).
On August 18, 2016, the Iranian website Mashreq News posted an interview with Mohammad Ali Falaki, a senior Iranian commander sent to the Syrian fighting front during the last year. During the Iran-Iraq War he commanded a division of IRGC special forces.
Falaki praised the courage and determination of the Fatemiyoun Brigade Afghans fighting in Syria under the aegis of the IRGC. He said the brigade had an important role in defending Damascus. He added that its orders came from the IRGC and its fighters were mostly Shi'ite Afghans, with some Sunnis. Some of the commanders, he said, were Iranians and others were Afghans. As to language difficulties, he said most of the Afghans were fluent in Persian so there were no problems.
Falaki said the number of Iranians fighting in Syria was relatively small because most of the Iranians were sent there in advisory capacities to train and direct the Syrian army and militias, which bore the main brunt of the fighting.

He said that after ISIS took over Iraq in the summer of 2014 he volunteered to join the war alongside 50 other senior IRGC commanders who had fought in the Iran-Iraq War, but in the end he went to Syria in the spring of 2015 after the escalation of the battles in the Aleppo region. He said the Iranian public had shown great willingness to join the campaign in Syria, whether actively or by giving donations. The desire to fight in Syria, he said, was also evident among soldiers in the regular army, who had appealed to Qasem Soleimani, commander of the IRGC's Qods Force, to be allowed to participate with the IRGC in the campaign. Soleimani received permission from the supreme leader, and in February 2016 regular army volunteers and units were deployed to Syria. He said the death and wounding of many fighters in Syria did not have a negative influence on the fighting spirit and motivation.
Falaki denied Western claims that Iranians who volunteered to fight in Syria received high salaries, claiming they were paid only $100 a month. He also claimed that the establishment of the "Shi'ite liberation army" operating in Syria, Iraq and Yemen under the command of Qasem Soleimani and composed of Afghans, Iraqis, Pakistanis and Lebanese was intended to insure that in 23 years Israel would no longer exist.

Iranian Intervention in Iraq

Ali Shamkhani, the secretary of the Supreme Council for National Security, met with Karim Sinjari, the Interior minister of Iraqi Kurdistan . Shamkhani claimed that Iran had always supported Iraqi Kurdistan within "the central Iraqi government's strategy." Shamkhani praised Kurdish President Masoud Barzani for his role in establishing and broadening the ties between Iran and the Kurdish Autonomous Region. He reiterated the importance of preserving Iraq's territorial integrity against Islamist terrorism which, he said, threatened all religious and ethnic groups in Iraq. He said Iran was concerned about the increasing activities of the Iranian Kurdish groups along the Iran-Iraq border, and called the preservation of security on its borders a "red line" for Iran. Sinjari thanked Iran for its continuing support of the Kurds in Iraq and said Iraqi Kurdistan would not allow any group to carry out hostile acts on the border with Iran (ISNA, August 14, 2016).

The office of Masoud Barzani, the president of the Autonomous Kurdish Region in northern Iraq, said in an announcement that Barzani had been formally invited by the Iran government and would visit Tehran in the near future. The date has not yet been set (ISNA, August 22, 2016).
On August 17, 2016, Mohammad Bagheri, chief of staff for the Iranian armed forces, met with Faleh al-Fayad, Iraqi national security advisor, to discuss regional developments and bilateral relations. Bagheri said the activities of the Iraqi Shi'ite militias alongside the Iraqi army ensured Iraq's security and stability. He said the Iranian armed forces were prepared to cooperate with the Iraqi army in various matters (Mehr, August 17, 2016).
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani and Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif met with Salim al-Jabouri, the speaker of the Iraqi parliament, who visited Tehran on August 20, 2016. They stressed Iran's commitment to supporting Iraq. President Rouhani said that Iran would continue its support of the Iraqi people and government in their fight against terrorism. He said that the period after the nuclear agreement was a good opportunity to broaden economic cooperation between Iran and Iraq.
Zarif said that Iraq was stationed on the front line in the fight against terrorism and extremism, and that Iran would unconditionally stand shoulder to shoulder with Iraq. He expressed confidence in Iraq's ability to successfully overcome terrorism in the approaching campaign to liberate the city of Mosul from ISIS. He stressed the need to preserve Iraq's unity and territorial integrity.
Al-Jabouri thanked Iran for supporting his country in its fight against terrorism, which, he said, was a clear and immediate danger threatening the entire region. He added that there was no substitute for the regional role played by Iran and that Iraq appreciated Iran's firm stance in support of the Iraqi government and people (Fars, August 20, 2016).

Iranian Intervention in the Palestinian Arena

On August 15, 2016, Khaled al-Qadoumi, Hamas representative in Iran, told the Iranian Mehr news agency that the relations between Hamas and Iran were based on many parameters, among them the "resistance" to the "Zionist regime." He claimed Iran had supported Hamas from the beginning with both political and military aid. The relations between Iran and Hamas, he claimed, had their ups and downs, especially during the past five years, but had never been severed.
Osama Hamdan, in charge of Hamas' international relations, interviewed by the Hezbollah-affiliated Al-Mayadeen TV channel, claimed the relations between Iran and Hamas were good and improving every day. He denied a report recently published by the London-based Saudi Arabian-sponsored Al-Sharq al-Awsat which quoted Turkish-based Hamas leader Saleh al-Arouri as saying Tehran demanded that Hamas pledge loyalty to Iran in return for financial aid (Tasnim, August 21, 2016).

Iranian Intervention in the Gulf States

Hossein Nikham, the Iran ambassador to Yemen, met in Kuwait with Mohammad Abdulsalam, spokesman for the Ansarullah movement, the political wing of the Shi'ite Yemeni Houthis, to discuss the peace talks currently being held in Kuwait between the Yemeni groups with UN oversight. The meeting was also attended by the head of the Persian Gulf department of the Iranian foreign ministry (Fars, August 22, 2016).

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[*] Spotlight on Iran is an Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center bulletin illuminating Iran's activities to establish its influence in the Middle East and beyond. It is based on reports in the Iranian media and written for the ITIC by Dr. Raz Zimmt, an expert on Iran's politics, society, foreign policy and social networks.

Hassan Firouzabadi (Fars, October 16, 2016).

Mohammad Ali Jafari, commander of the IRGC (Tasnim, October 18, 2016).

Mohammad-Reza Naqdi, commander of the Basij (Mehr, October 10, 2016).

Yahya Rahim Safavi (Asr-e Iran, October 17, 2016)

Saeed Bayazizadeh, an Iranian cleric killed in Syria (IRGC-affiliated Telegram channel, October 14, 2016).

Ali Shamkhani meets with Alexander Lavrentiev (Tasnim, October 10, 2016)

The outgoing Iranian ambassador to Syria bids farewell (ILNA, October 14, 2016).

Soleimani and senior Iraqi Shi'ites militiamen (ABNA, October 16, 2016)

Sheikh Akram al-Ka'bi meets with Ali-Akbar Velayati during a visit to Tehran (Tasnim, September 1, 2016).

Anti-Saudi Arabia cartoon published after the attack in Yemen (Fars, October 10, 2016).

Main Points

General Information

Iranian Intervention in Syria and Lebanon

Iranian Intervention in Iraq Iranian Intervention in Yemen

Iranian Intervention in the Palestinian Arena

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Overview

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Qasem Soleimani speaking at a ceremony to mark the first anniversary of the death of Hossein Hamedani (Tasnim, October 5, 2016)

Morteza Qorbani (Mehr, September 27, 2016)

The commanders of the IRGC (center) and the Basij (right) present the "Man of the Resistance" award to Abdullah al-Marwani, Yemenite Houthi representative (Fars, September 30, 2016).

Mohammad Reza Zare' Alvani (Twitter, September 28, 2016)

Hadiya Khalaf Abbas meets with Hassan Rouhani (Tasnim, September 27, 2016)

Iraqi ambassador Musawi (left) and Rafsanjani (IRNA, October 4, 2016)

Main Points

General Information

Iranian Intervention in Syria and Lebanon

Iranian Intervention in Iraq Iranian Intervention in Yemen

Iranian Intervention in the Palestinian Arena

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Qasem Soleimani at a meeting of IRGC commanders and the supreme leader on September 18, 2016 (Fars).

Morteza Ataei (right) standing next to Qasem Soleiman (Qasemsoliemani,Islamic Revolution,

Jaberi Ansari (left) and Bashar Assad (Fars, September 19, 2016)

Nobakht meets with families of Iranians killed in Syria (Etedaleshomal.ir, September 16, 2016).

Niri and Nasrallah (Tasnim, September 14, 2016)

Main Points

General Information

Iranian Intervention in Syria and Lebanon

Iranian Intervention in Iraq Iranian Intervention in Yemen

Iranian Intervention in the Palestinian Arena

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Hamid Mokhtas-Abadi (IRNA, August 30, 2016).

Bartolone and Rafsanjani (ILNA, September 6, 2016)

Ahmad Gholami, IRGC commander, killed in Syria (Fars, August 31, 2016)

Qasem Soleimani in south Aleppo (Twitter account, September 6, 2016)

Al-Kaabi and Ali-Akbar Velayati (Tasnim, September 1, 2016).

The Iranian delegation meets with Hamas' representative in Beirut (IRNA, September 1, 2016).

Main Points

General Information

Iranian Intervention in Syria and Lebanon

Iranian Intervention in Iraq

Iranian Intervention in the Palestinian Arena

Related Articles

Russian bombers deployed in Iran (Fars, August 16, 2016).

Alaeddin Boroujerdi, chairman of the Majlis committee for national security and foreign policy (Tasnim, August 24, 2016).

Ali-Akbar Velayati (Tasnim, August 7, 2016).

Mohammad Ali Falaki (Mashreq News, August 18, 2016).

Ali Shamkhani meets with Karim Sinjari (Tasnim, August 14, 2016).

Mohammad Bagheri (Mehr, August 17, 2016)

Mohammad Javad Zarif and Salim al-Jabouri (center) (Fars, August 20, 2016).

Khaled al-Qadoumi, Hamas representative in Tehran (Mehr, August 15, 2016)

Main Points

General Information

Iranian Intervention in Syria and Lebanon

Iranian Intervention in Iraq

Iranian Intervention in the Palestinian Arena

Iranian Intervention in the Gulf States

Related Articles