Spotlight on Iran

Highlights^[1]

• The IRGC spokesman reiterated his warning that if Israel attacks Iran again, the latter’s response will be harsher and broader. The Friday prayer leader in Tehran threatened that Iran would turn Tel Aviv into a ghost town.
• Senior Iranian regime figures exploited the first anniversary of the elimination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran to emphasize the need for continued “resistance” to Israel and harshly criticized Western countries, especially the United States, for their support for Israel.
• Amid efforts to disarm Hezbollah, an article in a hardline Iranian newspaper warned that Hezbollah is now capable of renewing the fighting against Israel.
• The Houthi military spokesman claimed responsibility for eight attacks against Israel using ballistic missiles and drones. The IDF Spokesperson announced the interception of two ballistic missiles and two drones launched from Yemen.
• The United States has reportedly warned the Iraqi government that it will impose sanctions on those supporting the armed militias if attacks against energy facilities in the Kurdish region continue, and that it may also attack illegal weapons depots.
• A Hezbollah operative responsible for directing terrorist squads in southern Syria with the aim of launching rockets into the Golan Heights was eliminated.
• The Islamic Resistance Front in Syria warned that any Israeli military operation in the south of the country would be considered a “declaration of war” and would be met with an immediate response.

Iran in the wake of the campaign with Israel

• IRGC spokesman Mohammad Naeini reiterated his warning that if Israel attacks in Iran again, the response will be harsher. At a memorial ceremony for war casualties, Naeini stated that the war proved there was no basis for the assessment that Iran is weak and that “the enemy” does not understand the key components of Iranian power. According to him, during the war, Iran fought alone – not only against Israel and the United States, but against all of NATO. He claimed that “the enemy” was completely defeated in the war, failed to achieve its declared objectives, and was forced to request a ceasefire, yet it continues the campaign through false narratives. Naeini added that Iran’s responses during the war disrupted life in Israel’s small territory and made it difficult for “the Zionist regime” to breathe. He warned that if “the enemy” tries once again to harm Iran’s security, it will “cut off its breath in the occupied lands,” the initiative for ending the fighting will lie with Iran, the geography of the response and the battlefield may change, and its responses will be more destructive (ISNA, July 30, 2025).

• Ayatollah Seyyed Ahmad Khatami, the Friday prayer leader in Tehran, referred in his sermon to the 12-day war with Israel, saying that Iran had defeated the “Zionist regime,” although it paid a heavy price. He noted that the world now understands that Israel is a “cancerous tumor” and therefore it must be removed swiftly. Khatami warned that Iran did not start the war and will not initiate one, but if war breaks out again, it will make Israel miserable and turn Tel Aviv into a ghost town (ISNA, August 1, 2025).

Iran’s involvement in the Palestinian arena

• In his speech at the International Conference of Speakers of Parliaments in Geneva, Majles Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf strongly criticized Israel and called for an end to the “Nazis of the 21st century.” Qalibaf accused international institutions of being silent in the face of “Israel’s crimes” and claimed that they condemn the victims and protect the attackers. Referring to the situation in the Gaza Strip, the speaker of the Majles said that more than 60,000 Palestinians had been killed in the “genocide” of the “Zionists,” who use hunger as a “tool of mass destruction.” He added that the Gaza Strip had become a museum of “crimes against humanity” and a laboratory for experimenting with killing technologies. According to him, the Strip is not just a point on the map but a test of human conscience, and the “Nazis of the 21st century” must be stopped before it is too late. At the end of his speech, he held up a picture of an Iranian baby who he said had been killed in Israeli airstrikes in the war with Israel, as well as a picture of a child from the Gaza Strip killed by Israel (Tasnim, July 30, 2025).

• Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi spoke with UAE Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed, discussing relations between the countries and regional developments, especially the situation in the Palestinian arena. Araghchi stressed the need for vigilance on the part of all the countries of the region regarding “the Zionist regime’s plots to destabilize the region” (Iranian Foreign Ministry website, August 1, 2025).
• The Iranian Foreign Ministry issued a statement on the first anniversary of the elimination of Ismail Haniyeh, head of Hamas’ political bureau, in Tehran. The statement said that the path of Haniyeh and the other “martyrs of the resistance” would continue vigorously until “the liberation of the oppressed Palestinian people from the yoke of the occupation and the realization of their right to self-determination.” It also said that the Islamic Republic emphasizes the legitimacy of the Palestinian people’s struggle to realize its right to self-determination in the face of “occupation and apartheid in the land of historic Palestine,” and considers the assassination of leaders and senior officials of the Palestinian people as part of “the occupying regime’s evil plan for the colonial annihilation of the Palestinian people.” The Iranian Foreign Ministry stressed that the continued military and political support of the United States and other Western countries for Israel makes them full partners in its “crimes” and that they bear international legal responsibility for “the genocide and war crimes of the Zionist regime” (Iranian Foreign Ministry website, August 1, 2025).
• The IRGC statement on the anniversary of Haniyeh’s elimination said that the steadfast stand of the residents of the Gaza Strip in the face of “the genocide and the crimes of the Zionist regime” is evidence of their commitment to the value of liberating “Palestine” and Jerusalem, and to continuing the path of Haniyeh and the other heroes of the resistance against Zionism. The statement further noted that the strength of the Palestinian people and their resilience, along with the continued support of the “Islamic resistance” in the region, particularly from the revolutionary Iranian people, convey an unequivocal message to the “criminal mafia ruling in Washington and Tel Aviv” that “victory of the resistance against Zionism” is guaranteed and that “Palestine’s” triumph over the occupiers is near. The IRGC added that the “al-Aqsa Flood” was not merely a one-time event, but rather a school of thought and an operational strategy for determining the outcome of the battlefield, despite the “evil plots” to establish two states. It called on human rights organizations and international institutions to take action to lift the “siege” on the Gaza Strip, to prevent the continuation of the “genocide” through effective means, including the imposition of harsh sanctions against Israel, and to bring those responsible for these “crimes” to justice at the International Criminal Court (Tasnim, August 2, 2025).
• Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said that the “war crimes of the Zionist regime” in the Gaza Strip, Iran, and the region are a disgrace to humanity. He stressed that Iran stands firm in support of the Palestinian people’s right to self-determination and commemorates the memory of the shaheed Ismail Haniyeh, its official guest (Masoud Pezeshkian’s X account, August 2, 2025).

Iran’s involvement in Lebanon

• In a commentary article, the Iranian daily Kayhan referred to the ongoing efforts to disarm Hezbollah, claiming that the organization can resume fighting, which was paused in November 2024, with even greater intensity than before. An article written by commentator Saadollah Zarei noted that Hezbollah is in a stable state and enjoys the support of the Shiites in Lebanon. Moreover, Lebanese society knows very well that without Hezbollah’s weapons, Lebanon would be in a worse state than Syria. In addition, there are broader circles that prevent Hezbollah’s weakening: the “Resistance Front,” the Islamic Republic of Iran, and other nations in the region that recognize Hezbollah as a key factor in restraining the “Zionist regime” in the area. According to Zarei, over the past eight months, Hezbollah has succeeded in improving its organizational standing, examining its weaknesses, taking steps to overcome them, and strengthening its arsenal. At the same time, it has acted on the domestic front in Lebanon in a way that has deepened the trust of non-Shiite actors in the country. Therefore, the organization is hardly afraid, neither internally within Lebanon nor regarding its ability to confront Israel. While Hezbollah is not seeking war, should it face one, its response will be decisive. And even if Lebanon may pay a price, such a response would be acceptable to both the people and the government of the country (Kayhan, August 2, 2025).

Iran amid developments in Syria

• Mohammad Akrami-Nia, the Deputy Coordinator of the Ideological-Political Organization of the Iranian Army, stated in a meeting with students at the Iranian Army’s Air Defense University that the United States and Israel seek to topple the regime in Syria and destroy the country’s infrastructure in order to fragment it. He added that they believe they can apply the same strategy to Iran as well (IRNA, July 31, 2025).

The Houthis in Yemen

• In the past week, the Houthis’ military spokesman, Yahya Saria, claimed responsibility for eight attacks against targets in Israel, two of them by a hypersonic ballistic missile and six by drones. He claimed that all the attacks had “achieved their objectives” (Yahya Saria’s Telegram channel, July 30-August 6, 2025). The IDF Spokesperson reported two cases of intercepting a ballistic missile and two cases of intercepting a drone launched from Yemen. There were no casualties (IDF Spokesperson and Israeli media, July 30 – August 6, 2025).
• In his weekly speech, Abd al-Malik al-Houthi, the leader of the Houthi movement, stated that despite the declaration of a humanitarian ceasefire, Israel attacked “thousands of Palestinians.” He claimed that the “Arab inaction” contributed to the scope of the “crime and injustices of the Zionist regime” against the Palestinians. He also claimed that Israel’s planes and tanks operate on Arab oil, and that there are Arab regimes that prohibit support for the Palestinians, and that there are some, including Saudi Arabia, that have opened their airspace and airports to Israel. In addition, al-Houthi said that the Palestinian Authority does not provide any level of protection to its citizens, but rather cooperates with Israel, and that the statements made by Britain and France about recognizing a Palestinian state stem from the current situation in Gaza, which is a “shameful scandal” for them. Referring to the Houthis’ announcement of “entering the fourth stage” of the activities to “support” the Palestinians, he noted that it is “a necessary step due to the situation in the Gaza Strip” (Houthi movement Telegram channel, July 31, 2025).

The pro-Iranian militias in Iraq

• A “high-ranking government source” reported that the US administration has informed the Iraqi government that it will impose sanctions on individuals and financial institutions that it believes provide direct or indirect support to the armed militias, if they continue their drone attacks against vital interests, especially against energy facilities in the Kurdish region in the north of the country. The source added that the US-led international coalition has explicitly informed Baghdad that failure to curb the attacks could be met with a variety of options, including stringent financial measures that could develop into precision attacks on sites and weapons depots that Washington considers illegal. On the other hand, a “senior figure in one of the resistance factions” downplayed the importance of the threats, stating that “pressure and sanctions will not dissuade us from our primary objective, which is to expel the occupying forces from Iraq by the announced deadline for ending their presence.” The “official” also noted that the militias expect possible American escalation, but they are prepared for all scenarios and will not allow a recurrence of expanded “American hegemony.” Additionally, a “government official” said that the idea of a complete American withdrawal during this period is unrealistic, especially given the growing regional security challenges and concerns over a resurgence of ISIS activity (Al-Akhbar, August 2, 2025).

The militias in Syria

• In an airstrike in the northern Bekaa Valley, the IDF eliminated a Hezbollah operative who was directing terrorist squads in Syria to launch rockets at the Golan Heights (IDF Spokesperson, August 6, 2025).
• The “Islamic Resistance Front in Syria – Possessors of Might” (Uli al-Baas, or UAB) issued a statement in light of the “rapid developments in southern Syria,” claiming that the organization’s units are monitoring suspected aggressive movements of the “Zionist enemy,” including airstrikes in the skies over Quneitra and Daraa, the mobilization of units in the border area, joint intelligence activity between Israel and cells operating for it inside southern Syria, and signs of a limited invasion or attacks against what is termed “the Iranian threat” in southern Syria, described as a malicious attempt to violate Syrian sovereignty. Accordingly, the organization declared that southern Syria is a red line, and that any military action there will be considered a declaration of all-out war and will be met with an immediate and direct response against “enemy positions and centers inside occupied southern Syria and in northern occupied Palestine.” In addition, the organization warned “the cells of agents and parties that pave the way for aggression inside Syria that the resistance will not be satisfied with merely repelling the enemy, but will also uproot the traitors mercilessly from cities, villages, and crossings” (Telegram channel of the Islamic Resistance Front in Syria – Possessors of Might, July 30, 2025).
• The leader of the Islamic Resistance Front in Syria – Possessors of Might, Abu Jihad Reda, released a recorded speech in which he claimed that the ruling government in Syria has no control and has become “a tool operated by the Turkish, American and Zionist security services, according to conflicting interests that all converge on a single goal: burying the Syrian identity of the resistance.” According to him, there are “black rooms” currently operating from various centers in Damascus and its rural areas. Within Damascus itself, “17 Zionist intelligence headquarters” are allegedly active, with the mission of “sowing discord and division among the peoples of the country.” Reda stated that they are fighting “to liberate Syria from occupation and to restore national determination.” He threatened that “our rifles will not be silenced, our front will not be defeated, and our people are not afraid of death – they turn it into a bridge to victory” (Telegram channel of the Islamic Resistance Front in Syria – Possessors of Might, August 2, 2025).

• Over the past week, the “Resistance Front” announced the expansion of its cooperation with additional “resistance” movements in Syria. It was reported that a joint operations front had been established with the “National Resistance for the Liberation of the Golan Heights” to deal with “the main challenges facing the country,” against the backdrop of “an escalation of Zionist threats against southern Syria.” The joint front was reportedly created to unite “the sincere efforts of all resistance factions” within Syria through the establishment of a shared military operations room covering the entirety of Syrian territory, to confront “the enemy” by all possible means (Telegram channel of the Islamic Resistance Front in Syria – Possessors of Might, July 30, 2025). Subsequently, it was reported that a united front had also been established with the “Popular Front for the Liberation of the Sanjak^[2] of Iskenderun (Alexandretta),” an organization that supports the ousted regime of Bashar al-Assad and operates in northwestern Syria. The announcement stated that the purpose of this united front is to liberate Syria and to uproot “occupation, terrorism, and treason” (Telegram channel of the Islamic Resistance Front in Syria – Possessors of Might, August 4, 2025).

^[1] The weekly study includes the activities of Iran, the Shiite militias in Iraq, and the Houthis in Yemen.
^[2] Sanjak was an administrative unit in the Ottoman Empire.

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