The Syrian minister of oil and mineral resources arrived in Tehran for a visit and met with his Iranian counterpart to discuss implementing the agreement for energy cooperation signed at the beginning of May during Iran’s president’s visit to Damascus.
A Syrian news channel reported an uptick in measures to secure the transfer of weapons from Iran to Syria. It also reported the arrival of Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) military instructors to provide training for pro-Iranian militia fighters in eastern Syria.
In the wake of Operation Shield and Arrow in the Gaza Strip, the Iranian foreign minister spoke with the head of Hamas’ political bureau and the secretary-general of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) and expressed his admiration for the Palestinian people and the “resistance.” Following the operation, Esmail Ghaani, commander of the IRGC’s Qods Force, sent a communiqué to the Palestinians and the Palestinian organizations, praising them for their “victory” in the most recent round of fighting in Gaza.
Referring to the Flag March held on Israel’s Jerusalem Day, Iran condemned the “repeated desecration of al-Aqsa mosque.”
Iranian and Iraqi representatives held a meeting to coordinate preparations for pilgrimages to Shi’ite shrines in Iraq in September 2023.
Iranian Intervention in Syria
On May 18, 2023, Firas Qaddour ,the Syrian Minister of oil and Mineral Resources, arrived in Tehran for a visit. He met with Javad Owji, his Iranian counterpart, to discuss implementing the agreement for oil, gas and petrochemistry cooperation signed during the visit of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi at the beginning of May 2023. While in Tehran, Qaddour attended an international energy conference. The Iranian minister stressed Iran’s desire to strengthen Syrian-Iranian economic cooperation (IRNA, May 18, 2023).
On May 12, 2023, a delegation of Iranian media personnel arrived in Syria for a visit. They met with senior Syrian officials, including Ms. Bouthanina Shaaban, President Assad’s senior advisor, Hussein Diab, the governor of Aleppo, and Syrian media personnel, and toured the country (Tasnim, May 13-14, 2023)
On May 14, 2023, the Syrian news channel Ayn al-Furat reported that a military convoy from Damascus had arrived in Deir ez-Zor bringing between 15 and 20 IRGC missile and artillery experts. According to the report, they were dispersed to various regions, among them Albukamal, al-Mayadin and Deir ez-Zor, to instruct pro-Iranian militia fighters.
According to another report from the same channel, Hajj Abbas, the IRGC commander in Albukamal, secretly met with Iranian commanders and senior Hezbollah operatives, one of whom was Hajj Abu-Aziz, the commander of Hezbollah in Albukamal. The meeting aimed to discuss improving measures to secure shipments of weapons from Iran to Syria. According to the report, the Iranians emphasized the importance of keeping the locations of weapons and missile warehouses more secret. Hajj Abbas instructed the commanders to personally oversee the distribution of the weapons arriving from Iran via Iraq and to install concealed security cameras in the headquarters and warehouses. He also warned the commanders against going out alone without escort or personal defense measures. Additionally, it was reported that a similar meeting took place at the Iranian compound in Albukamal, attended by IRGC commanders and operatives from the Iraqi pro-Iranian militias (Ayn al-Furat, May 16, 2023).
On May 20, 2023, Ayn al-Furat reported that the Iranian embassy in Damascus had opened a new hall at the shrine of al-Sayyidah Zaynab, a Shi’ite pilgrimage site located south of Damascus. According to the report, representatives from Iran and the Iranian embassy in Syria attended the opening ceremony. In recent years Iran has been involved in renovating Shi’ite shrines damaged during the civil war, especially the shrine of al-Sayyidah Zaynab. Iran has also purchased buildings near the shrine and encouraged pilgrimages to the site.
Iranian Intervention in the Palestinian Arena
On May 12, 2023, Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein-Amir Abdollahian spoke with Isma’il Haniyeh, head of Hamas’ political bureau, and on behalf of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi expressed his admiration for the Palestinian people and their “brave resistance.” He also praised the Gaza Strip’s firm stance and the “heroism of the resistance in the ongoing confrontation with the enemy”. In addition, he emphasized the importance of international support for “Palestine” and the “resistance” against the “Zionist occupiers.” Haniyeh, in response, expressed his esteem for Iran and its support of Palestine and stressed that “the enemy” was fully responsible for the last round of fighting due to their targeted killings of senior [“resistance”] figures and attacks on civilians and their houses . He said the “resistance” was coordinated both on the ground and politically in the “struggle against the Zionist regime’s aggression.”
Abdollahian also spoke with Ziyad al-Nakhalah, PIJ secretary-general. They discussed political developments and the “enemy’s cruel aggression in the Gaza Strip.” Abdollahian condemned the “Zionist regime’s aggression” and the targeted killings of senior PIJ commanders and innocent Palestinians, especially women and children. He emphasized that Israel’s actions clearly violated human rights. He praised the “heroic resistance” displayed by the Palestinian people and the “resistance groups.” Al-Nakhalah stated that the “resistance” on the ground was in excellent condition and would continue to confront the “Zionist regime’s aggression” until it ceased its attacks and accepted the “resistance’s” conditions (IRNA, May 12, 2023).
At a ceremony held in the city of Mashad in northeastern Iran, Esmail Qaani, commander of the IRGC’s Qods Force, said the Qods Force would continue its support for the “young Palestinians” and the “strong heroic front” to the best of its ability, both in word and actions. He pledged to work together with them for the complete elimination of the “Zionist regime.” He highlighted that the young fighters in Palestine were occasionally carrying out over 30 attacks per day in the West Bank, which he attributed to the strength of the “resistance front” and global Islamic recruitment efforts (Tasnim, May 13, 2023).
On May 14, Qaani sent a communiqué to the Palestinians, families in the Gaza Strip and the Palestinian organizations that participated in the joint operations room, congratulating them on their “victory” in the most recent round of fighting in Gaza. He said the Jihad fighters in Jerusalem, the West Bank, and all of Palestine had demonstrated that the dawn of victory was approaching and they were capable of “breaking the enemy’s force” and defeating him. He viewed it as an additional victory achieved through their cooperation and unity, and stressed that Iran would continue to stand with the Palestinian people and “resistance”, with the goal of strengthening the “resistance axis” until the “Zionist regime” had been uprooted from the soil of Palestine. He also expressed gratitude to Hezbollah and the “resistance” groups for their steadfast stance against the “Zionist enemy” (Fars, May 14, 2023).
In response to the communiqué, Isma’il Haniyeh, head of Hamas’ political bureau, stated that “the victory achieved by the resistance battalions, led by the Jerusalem Brigades, in the battle had been supported by the force and unity displayed in the field and in leadership.” He added that Ghaani’s remarks demonstrated the Iranian leader’s support for the “resistance” in the Gaza Strip, the West Bank and abroad, showcasing Iran as the unwavering pillar of support in the resistance’s struggle against the Zionist enemy and the American regime” (al-Risalah, May 22, 2023).
On May 19, 2023, the day following the Flag March on Israel’s Jerusalem Day, Nasser Kanaani, a spokesman for the Iranian foreign ministry, wrote on his Twitter account that “the repeated desecrations of al-Aqsa mosque and the Zionists’ chanting of racist slogans against Palestinians and Muslims were a response to [Israel’s] embarrassing defeat at the hands of the heroic resistance in Gaza, and must be condemned.” He added that he wondered whether the international community still harbored doubts regarding the “apartheid nature of the Zionist regime.”
Iranian Intervention in Iraq
Mahdi Hadi Ali al-Fkeiki, advisor to the Iraqi Ministry of the Interior, announced that the Iraqi government was actively working to facilitate the travel of Iranians who wished to participate in the pilgrimages to the Shi’ite shrines in Iraq (the Arbaeen). He made the statement at the conclusion of a bilateral meeting held to discuss the arrangements for the upcoming Arbaeen ceremonies planned for the end of September 2023. He further mentioned that the designated entry points for Iranian pilgrims into Iraqi territory had been determined, as well as the specified truck crossings (ISNA, May 17, EU).
In addition, on May 22, 2023, Bahram Einollahi, the Iranian Minister of Health, held a meeting with Faleh al-Fayyad, the commander of the Popular Mobilization (an umbrella organization of the pro-Iranian militias in Iraq) to discuss medical preparations for the upcoming pilgrimage ceremonies, including the establishment of mobile medical units. The Iranian Minister of Health said his country was prepared to allow Iraq to utilize all its medical facilities, including medical technologies (ISNA, May 22, 2023).
