Israel, Saudi Arabia, and the United States: Iran has a lot of enemies. But he can assert with the help of his allies against you, even a regional large-scale oscillation. An Overview of partners and strategies.
Ready to fight: an Exercise of the Iranian revolutionary guards
Syria
The Iranian-Syrian ties goes back to the year 1979. After the Islamic Revolution in Iran, and Syria during the Iraqi-Iranian war as the only Arab country on the side of the Mullah-regime. According to the power of Bashar to the departure of al-Assad’s regime has been Iran along with the Shia Hezbollah to be a protecting power for the young ruler. The ratio – and with it the dependence of Assad’s Tehran – deepened after the outbreak of the Revolution in 2011.
Already in may of that year, supported in Tehran, the Regime in Damascus, initially, with monitoring software, in the following months, then also with military equipment. Similarly, Tehran fighters of the revolutionary guards and advisers to Damascus posted. Already in may, the head of Iran’s Al Quds units, Ismail Gha’ani said, in an Interview quite frankly by the presence of its troops in Syria.
In the following years, Iran has invested heavily in the preservation of the Assad government. To the amount of the sums, there are different estimates: The analyst Nadim Shehadi of the Tufts University of around 105 billion US dollars; the US state Department, however, considers the expenditure of about 21 billion US-Dollar for probably. Beyond the support of the Assad regime wants to establish Iran by its involvement in Syria, as the leading hegemonic power against Israel. It Minister Ali Akbar vilayati, said the former Iranian foreign. “Today, the road of the resistance in Tehran starts and then reaches Mosul, Damascus and Beirut,” he said in June 2017, the state-run Iranian press Agency IRNA.
Lebanon
Through Hezbollah, Iran is also present in Lebanon. The paramilitary organization was established in the year 1982 in the context of the Lebanese civil war, founded with the aim of the Israeli armed forces, which had intervened in the same year, in southern Lebanon, an armed force to oppose. Shortly after its founding around 1500 fighters of the Iranian revolution reinforced garden movement. Their target: the Export of the Islamic Revolution of 1979 in Lebanon.
In 1985, the organization adopted its current name (Hezbollah – “party of God”). Already in the year 2006, during the war between Israel and Hezbollah, had the Iran of the militia to a report by the newspaper “Al-Sharq al-Awsat,” according to some 11,500 missiles to come. In addition, around 3,000 Hezbollah fighters were trained in Iran. “We should acknowledge that we are facing in Lebanon of any militia but rather a special brigade of the Iranian army,” declared the Israeli military in 2007.
In the following years, Iran supported the Hezbollah, according to U.S. estimates, with around 200 million euros a year. With the outbreak of the war in Syria, the total increased enormously. The U.S. Department of the Treasury with the issues of counterterrorism, state Secretary Sigal Mandelker currently assumes an annual support of around US $ 700 million. These are also a compensation for the combat operations of Hezbollah in Syria, where many militias were wounded or in combat have fallen. Part of the money, the Hezbollah also applies for weapons purchases. Your Arsenal is so complete that they state actor is considered to be the most powerful in the world.
Ally of Tehran: Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, here is a recording from the year 2015
Iraq
Iran is present in Iraq. After the US Intervention of 2003, Iran took advantage of the collapse of Government in the neighbouring country, its influence expand. The leadership in Tehran, the aim was to prevent a war with the neighboring country in the years 1980-88 for the future. In addition, Iran is jihadist Terror fighting organizations, such as Al-Qaeda and “Islamic state” (IS). In addition, the Mullah is trying to Regime the presence of the arch-enemy United States in Iraq, as far as possible, to counter. At the same time also the territorial integrity of the neighbouring country at heart him, but. Because their collapse would undermine the already precarious stability of the Region.
These goals, Iran is trying to achieve with religious motifs. So he promotes about the pilgrimage of millions of his citizens in the two southern Iraqi cities of Najaf and Karbala, which are also the Iranian Shia Holy.
A great influence had the Iran during the reign of Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki (2006-2014), a Shi’a, who lived during the reign of Saddam Hussein, for some years in Iranian exile. Most recently, Iran has lost in Iraq, but at least part of his influence. After the elections in may 2015, in particular, the most influential Shiite politician in Iraq, Moqtada al-Sadr, went on distance to Tehran. Thus al-Sadr was also in line with the desire of many Iraqi Shiites that want to see the influence of the neighboring country limited.
Yemen
Also in Yemen, one has to reckon with Iran. The way there led over the Shiite Houthis, which have been available for around 15 years in a permanent clinch with the Central government, they are marginalized and their Rights have been abused feel violated. For Iran, the conflict in Yemen is not least a stage for the proxy war with its biggest rival: the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. This is at the forefront of an international, predominantly of Arab States formed a coalition, which defends the regular government under the head of state, Abed Rabbo Mansur Hadi against the revolt by the Houthis.
While the coalition fleet at the cost of the use – in particular, of the aircraft, but also of the predominantly Sudanese mercenary army has invested in Iran is relatively manageable sums of money. He focuses primarily on the military equipment of the rebels. Already in the year 2018 an independent group of experts commissioned by the United Nations (UN) Remains in Saudi had analyzed Arabia found drones. In the report the analysts said, the Huthis claimed to have the drone self-built. The technical analysis suggest a different conclusion: “Actually the drones from components that were put together that were made by a foreign source and in the Yemen brought.”
One of the models, “Qatif”, with the name, was “in design, dimensions, and capacities almost identical to the model of the Ababil-T, which is produced by the Iranian aerospace industry.” Iran is above all indirectly in the Yemen is present. With military means alone, he is likely to leave from there, hardly more to distribute. This is all the more so, as the international coalition shows signs of significant wear.
Tehran in the back The militants of the Houthis in Yemen
Hamas
Also, the relations of the Gaza strip’s ruling Hamas has strengthened Iran. During the last years of the Iran-supported Hamas financially and militarily. Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar said in a speech in may 2019, the Grad and Fajr missiles, which had previously been on Israeli cities such as Tel Aviv and Beersheba fired, had been provided either by Iran, or with the financial and technical support locally developed.
Regardless of denominational boundaries – the Hamas is a Sunni organization – looks of Iran in the presence in the Gaza strip, a further opportunity to threaten Israel, to put or at least in agitation. Hamas accepts the help gladly. “Without the support of our resistance from the sides of Iran, we would never have such capabilities,” said Yahya Sinwar in his speech. “Our (Arab) Nations have left us in our difficult moments in the lurch, while Iran has supported us with weapons, equipment, and expertise.”
However, the presence of Iran for Hamas is not only an advantage. Because Tehran supports Islamic Jihad, a more radical organization than the Muslim brotherhood close to Hamas. Of your multiple attacks were already in Israeli territory which Hamas had no control.
Gesture of friendship: The Deputy Hamas leader Saleh al-Arouri (li.) a guest of the Iranian revolution leader, Ayatollah Khamenei (re.)
Strait of Hormuz
Most recently, Iran has shown its power even in the Strait of Hormuz. After the termination of the nuclear agreement by the US government under President Donald Trump, the tensions grew to the Strait between Iran and the Saudi Peninsula. It is one of the most important shipping routes in the world, especially for oil Transport. In response to in the Region posted US aircraft carrier took Iran several acts of sabotage against international merchant ships, among other things, one of the regional Erzkonkurrenten Saudi Arabia.
The spokesman for the Iranian foreign Ministry was self-conscious: Iran will repel any attack by the United States, said the spokesman for the Iranian foreign Ministry, Abbas Mussawi, in June. “We will not allow violation of the limits of Iran. Iran is determined to any Aggression or threat to America” – quoted by the semi-governmental Iranian news Agency Tasnim.
Although Iran cannot match the United States militarily of the water. Instead, he could bring the ship traffic in the Strait of Hormuz, in whole or in Parts to a Halt, with sensitive implications for the world economy. Instead of the regular armed forces of the Iranian revolutionary guards could play an important role. “You can threaten the shipping lanes in the Persian Gulf, in the Gulf of Oman and the Caspian sea, through a rich Arsenal of weapons, including subs, smart torpedoes, remote-controlled or pre-loaded mines, and is strategically located on the mainland, the Islands and ships positioned Anti-ship missiles,” writes the military expert Theodore Karasik, in a study for the newspaper “Arab News”.
Remote-controlled boats, high speed boats, underwater torpedoes, and unmanned aircraft weapons in the Arsenal. With this Guerrilla tactics of Iran shows itself as hard besiegbarer opponent to reckon with its military weight still is.
Threatened: the British oil Tanker Stena Impero is surrounded in the Strait of Hormuz from an Iranian speedboat.