By Fariba Raad | 2024-11-26

The Islamic Republic's support for violent proxies in the decades since the revolution of 1979 brought the current regime to power has created a destabilizing force across the region, experts said.

This has contributed to widespread suffering and displacement.

In Iraq, Iran-backed militias such as Kataib Hizbullah are among the most powerful factions in the so-called "axis of resistance," a regional network of Iran-aligned militias.

'Axis' militias have carried out numerous attacks from Iraqi soil, violating Iraq's sovereignty and putting it at risk of being dragged into a regional war.

Similarly, the Iranian regime's unwavering financial and military support for Lebanese Hizbullah has solidified the party's influence over Lebanon's political and economic landscape.

This has contributed to the collapse of Lebanon’s economy, which plunged its citizens into a humanitarian crisis, and has turned the country into a battlefield.

In Syria, the Iranian regime has been instrumental in propping up the brutal regime of Bashar al-Assad, through the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Quds Force (IRGC-QF) and various affiliated militias.

This has only deepened the humanitarian crisis in Syria, where 7.5 million children urgently need humanitarian aid, and nearly 90% of households are living in extreme poverty.

In Yemen, the Iran-backed Houthis have repeatedly attacked commercial ships in the Red Sea using drones and missiles, disrupting vital shipments of food, medicine, and other essential goods.

These attacks have exacerbated the country's already dire situation, leaving its famine-stricken population without access to basic necessities.

Weapon of influence

The Iranian regime's policy of supporting proxy groups is a deliberate weapon of influence, said defense and security journalist, researcher, historian and author Babak Taqvaii, who is based in Europe.

"Supporting terrorism has been the Iranian regime’s weapon in the Middle East and North Africa, but also in Europe and the United States," he told Pishtaz.

King’s College London Middle Eastern Studies professor Andreas Krieg highlighted the broader impact of the Iranian regime's strategy.

"The regional order was dysfunctional anyway and has further collapsed in the last couple of decades," he said.

The Iranian regime is "exploiting vulnerabilities in nations across the Arab world to inject itself into the militant part of uprisings, revolutions and armed resistance movements," he added.

Krieg pointed to Hizbullah's role in creating a human catastrophe in the region.

"Hizbullah is ideologically an extension of the Islamic Republic," he said. "The Iranians are providing the 'axis of resistance' with the support they want that no one else has been giving them."

Iran’s support for Hizbullah has significantly shaped the party’s activities and influence in Lebanon and beyond, Krieg said.