Iran

A fighter with the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) was killed in Syria. Conflicting reports emerged in Syrian pro-opposition websites with regards to the staging of the Shia militias operating under Iranian patronage in Syria. Iran welcomed the appointment of Mustafa al-Kazimi as the incoming Iraqi Prime Minister. For the first time since the 1979 Islamic Revolution, due to the outbreak of the Corona virus, Iran announced the cancellation of the International Qods Day rallies. Read more...

On April 20, the Iranian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mohammed Javad Zarif, conducted an official visit to Syria and met with Syrian President Assad and the Syrian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Walid al-Muallem. After Iranian cargo flights again started taking off from Iran to Syria, Syrian jets too renewed their flights from Lattakia to Tehran. The Iranian minister of foreign affairs spoke on the phone with his Iraqi counterpart as political factions in Iraq continue to wrangle over the formation of a new government in Baghdad. Read more...

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to ravage Iran and the world, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and Shi’ite militias backed by Iran continue to entrench their presence in Syria. Iran welcomed the appointment the Director of the Iraqi Intelligence Service (IIS), Mustafa al-Kazemi, to the position of prime minister-designate. Meanwhile, Iran continues to stress the need for a complete pullout of U.S. forces from Iraq. Against the backdrop of the COVID-19 pandemic, senior Iranian officials joined Hamas’ call for the release of Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli prisons. Read more...