How will Iran react to ISIS? The Regime cannot say the Great Satan or the Little Satan or the other Little Satan (Saudi Arabia) are responsible. “ISIS claims responsibility for Iran suicide bombings killing at least 84 people,” AP, 1-4-24. “The Islamic State group claim identified the two attackers as Omar al-Mowahed and Seif-Allah al-Mujahed. The claim said the men carried out the attacks with explosive vests. It also used disparaging language when discussing Shiites, which the Islamic State group views as heretics. The statement did not mention which regional arm of the extremists carried out the attack, which other claims in the past have had. But Aaron Y. Zelin, a senior fellow at The Washington Institute for Near East Policy, said that some previous claims have not specified the regional arm, and that the latest claim came directly from an [online] account associated with the group. The group likely hoped to see Iran strike at Israel, widening its war on Hamas into a regional conflict that Islamic State could potentially take advantage of, Zelin said. “This falls under the modus operandi of IS, especially since it was such a mass casualty attack,” Zelin said. “They are kind of like the Joker. They want to see the world burn. They don’t care how it happens as long as it benefits them.” The Islamic State group, which once held vast territory across Iraq and Syria, ultimately were beaten back by U.S.-led forces. It has been in disarray in the years since, though it has mounted major assaults.”
Thank you NYT for getting this description right (finally) of Soleimani: “The general, a widely revered and feared Iranian military officer who was the architect of an Iranian-led and -funded alliance of Shiite groups across the Middle East, …” See “Islamic State Claims Responsibility for Deadly Bombings in Iran,” NYT, 1-4-24.
“Airstrike in central Baghdad kills Iran-backed militia leader,” AP, 1-4-24. “Since the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war on Oct. 7, a group of Iranian-backed militias calling itself the Islamic Resistance in Iraq has carried out more than 100 attacks on bases housing U.S. troops in Iraq and Syria. … A U.S. airstrike in Baghdad on Thursday killed a high-ranking leader of an Iran-backed militia involved in recent attacks on U.S. troops in Iraq and Syria, the Pentagon has confirmed. The strike targeted Mushtaq Talib al-Saidi, also known as Abu Taqwa, the leader of the Harakat al-Nujaba militia group, Defense Department spokesman Air Force Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder told reporters. The attack also killed another militia member. “It is important to note that the strike was taken in self defense [and] that no civilians were harmed and that no infrastructure or facilities were struck,” Ryder added. The strike comes amid fears that mounting regional tensions fueled by the Israel-Hamas war could spill over into surrounding countries. It also coincides with a push by Iraqi officials for US-led coalition forces to leave the country. Officials from the Popular Mobilization Force, or PMF, a coalition of militias that is nominally under the control of the Iraqi military, were first to announce that its deputy head of operations in Baghdad, who they identified as Abu Taqwa, had been killed “as a result of brutal American aggression. That group, one of the militias within PMF, was designated a terrorist organization by Washington in 2019.”
“Iran’s day of reckoning is nearing,” The Hill, 1-4-24. Lays out Iran’s actions since 1979 and why countries are now rising against it.
“State Department says neither US nor Israel behind Iran blasts that killed over 80,” Times of Israel, 1-4-24.
“Iran has overseen a range of hardline factions for decades, and these groups have stepped up attacks over the past three months, ever since Hamas, a leading beneficiary of Iranian support, launched its assault on southern Israel on Oct. 7. Today, Iran supports groups attacking U.S. and Israeli forces in five separate places in the Middle East, according to U.S. and Israeli officials. Iran backs Hamas in the Israel-Gaza war. Iran supports Hezbollah in the daily rocket and missile exchange along the Israel-Lebanon border. Iran arms the Houthis, who are firing at commercial cargo ships, which are being protected by the U.S. Navy. And Iran is also the patron of smaller militias that have attacked U.S. troops repeatedly in Iraq and Syria, mostly with drones. Iran seeks to weaken Israel, oust the U.S. Iran’s longstanding goals are to undermine Israel and to drive U.S. forces out of the region. By design, Iran, a Persian nation, pursues this agenda with Arab proxy forces so Tehran can maintain an arm’s length and not get directly involved in the fighting.” See “After striking throughout the Middle East, Iran’s proxies now become the targets,” WPR, 1-4-24.
“The U.S. Must Reduce Iranian Influence in Iraq,” Algemeiner, MEForum, 1-4-24. A significant part of the Iranian regime’s strategy is to exert overriding influence over Iraq’s politics, economy, and military. This provides Iran with a land corridor to Syria and the broader Levant, allowing it to spread its revolution, sow chaos, and undermine regional American allies and partners. The US must counter Iran’s nefarious influence in every way possible. The Iranian-Iraqi border is some 1,000 miles long, which guarantees some level of Iranian influence. The two countries are both majority Shiite countries, even though Shiites represent approximately 15% of the world’s Muslims, the vast majority of whom are Sunnis. The two countries share significant economic ties. Iraq is the second-largest importer of Iranian goods, after China. Iraq relies heavily on Iran for natural gas and electricity. Iran’s influence in Iraq is considerable. Numerous Iraqi political parties have ties with Iran. Iran also arms and funds militias in Iraq, which came to be collectively known as the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) in 2014. The US must counter Iran’s nefarious influence in every way possible. Several of the PMF’s constituent groups have pledged loyalty to the Supreme Leader of Iran, Ali Khamenei. Some of the militias, such as Kata’ib Hezbollah (KH) and Asa’ib Ahl al-Haq, carried out deadly attacks against US and coalition forces during the Iraq War. The PMF’s main purpose is to facilitate Iranian dominance over Iraq and to expel US forces from the country; there are some 2,000 serving there in an advisory capacity. The Shiite Coordination Framework (SCF), an umbrella group of Shiite Iraqi political parties, is backed by Iran. In 2022, the body nominated Mohammed Shia al-Sudani as its candidate for prime minister. Sudani successfully formed a government in October 2022. According to an analysis by The Washington Institute for Near East Policy, “the formation of a new government by Sudani can only be regarded as a major victory for Iran … [T]he new government is a fresh start for Iran to continue strengthening its regional agenda in Iraq and beyond.”
