Iran

Spotlight on Iran (December 16, 2018 – December 30, 2018)

The decision of United States’ (U.S.) President Donald Trump to withdraw American forces from Syria was met in Iran with surprise and satisfaction by most senior officials and commentators. The news of the U.S. withdrawal reverberated in Iraq as well, where the Iranian ambassador declared that his country ended its military presence in Iraq. In late December, a delegation of Hamas’ political bloc in the Palestinian parliament, headed by the senior Hamas leader Mahmoud al-Zahar, visited Tehran/
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Iranian Responses to Trump’s Statement and Initial Assessment of the Statement’s Effect on Iranian Policy in Syria – Dr. Raz Zimmt

The decision of Unites States (U.S.) President Donald Trump to withdraw American forces from Syria was met in Iran with surprise and satisfaction by most senior officials and commentators. The drawdown of American troops from Syria is being presented as proof of the failure of U.S. strategy in the region, particularly in Syria, and another achievement of the “Resistance Front” led by the Islamic Republic.
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Spotlight on Iran (December 2, 2018 – December 16, 2018)

Iran is keeping a low profile with regards to the “Northern Shield” operation carried out by the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) to destroy Hezbollah tunnels along Israel’s border with Lebanon. The Commander of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards (IRGC)’s Qods Force, Qasem Soleimani, visited Iraq and met with the country’s grand mufti. An extraordinary commentary published in the reformist Iranian paper harshly criticized Hamas
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Spotlight on Iran (November 18 – December 2, 2018)

The 32nd annual Islamic Unity Conference was held in Tehran and attended by Iranian senior officials and representatives from about 100 countries. According to Syrian sources cited in the newspaper al-Sharq al-Awsat, Iran recently stepped up its efforts to recruit Syrian citizens into pro-Iranian militias operating in northeastern Syria. Iran continues to exert effort to cement its economic foothold in Iraq.
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The American State Department offers a reward for information about senior Hamas figure Saleh al-‘Arouri

The American State Department recently offered a reward of up to $5 million for information that would lead to the identification or location of Saleh al-'Arouri, deputy head of Hamas' political bureau, and two senior Hezbollah military operatives.
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Spotlight on Iran (November 4, 2018 – November 18, 2018)

Diplomatic efforts concerning the settlements of the Syrian war continue. In the military domain, on November 9, Syrian sources reported that special forces of the Syrian military in collaboration with the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) carried out a raid against a position of the Syrian rebel groups Jaysh al-Izza near Lataminah. A growing Iranian role in religious and economic affairs in the region. Iranian media provided extensive coverage of the events of the past week in the Gaza Strip
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Iran

Exporting the Islamic Revolution was one of the Iranian Revolution’s original, basic objectives. Iran seeks regional hegemony and more than that – dominance of the Muslim world. To that end, Iran has developed a network of underground organizations and terrorist groups within Islamic (especially Shiite) communities in the Middle East and around the world, including Africa, Latin America, Asia and beyond. In the Middle East, Iran is leading an anti-American and anti-Israeli Shiite axis struggling against the Middle Eastern Sunni countries led by Saudi Arabia. The Iranian axis (the “Axis of Resistance”) includes Syria, Lebanon, Iraq, Yemen, and Bahrain. In these countries, Iran handles proxy organizations operating to promote Iran’s interests.

Israeli-Iranian relations had their ups and downs. During the reign of the Shah of Iran, the two countries were allied politically. After the revolution and the establishment of the Islamic Republic, Iran revoked its recognition of Israel and ended all official relations with it.

To implement its anti-Israeli policies, Iran has broadened its ties to the terrorist organizations operating against Israel. Iran instigates terrorist organizations, especially the Palestinian Islamic Jihad and Hezbollah, to attack Israel, and finances and arms both organizations. In recent years, large shipments of weapons from Iran have been intercepted as they were en route to the Palestinian terrorist organizations.


To promote its regional and global interests and aspirations, Iran is developing military nuclear capabilities. It is also developing long-range missiles and warheads which can reach Israel, the rest of the Middle East, and Europe.