Latest on the Iran War

In the latest sign that Tehran is seeking to expand its economic sphere of influence in Syria, the Iranian government on Tuesday signed several agreements with Damascus to restore Syria’s power grid and infrastructure. Although the Syrian war is far from over, the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (I.R.G.C.) is already looking for financial rewards for its support to the embattled regime of Bashar al-Assad in the past six years. Since the seizure of the northern Syrian city of Aleppo in December, the Syrian government has granted I.R.G.C. companies lucrative contracts on a no-bidding basis.

Imam Hossein University, a U.S.-designated Iranian military institution affiliated with the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (I.R.G.C.), sends its commanders and

Lebanese Hezbollah’s Leader Hassan Nasrallah has declared victory in the Syrian war, Iranian and Lebanese media reported today. According to Lebanon’s al-Akhbar daily, Nasrallah said at a religious gathering in Lebanon that Hezbollah and its allies have won the war in Syria and what remains are only scattered battles. “Our martyrs, wounded and prisoners are changing equations and writing the history of the entire region, not just Lebanon’s,” he was quoted as saying.

Iranian officials have reiterated that the country would not allow any foreign inspectors to visit its military sites, rejecting International Atomic Energy Agency (I.A.E.A.) head’s Monday remarks that the watchdog makes no distinction between civilian and military sites in its inspect

A commander of Iraqi Popular Mobilization Forces (P.M.F.) has announced that the paramilitary forces have taken complete preparations to recapture remaining areas under the Islamic State control in western parts of al-Anbar Province close to the Syrian border. According to Fars News Agency, an Iranian outlet affiliated with the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (I.R.G.C.), Jawad al-Talibawi, the spokesperson for the armed wing of Iranian-supported Asaib Ahl al-Haq, said P.M.F.

In this week’s Monday Briefing, MEI experts Paul Salem, Robert S. Ford, Alex Vatanka, and Bilal Y. Saab provide analysis on recent and upcoming events including the Iraqi military’s new operation to take back the town of Hawija from ISIS, the operation by the Syrian regime and U.S.-backed forces in Deir Ezzor, the Pakistani foreign minister’s visit to Iran, and the resumption of U.S. and Egyptian war games after being suspended since the 2011.

Senior Iranian officials attended a public gathering in Damascus over the weekend to commemorate the Shiite religious event of Eid al-Ghadeer. According to the Iranian media, Abolfazl Tabatabai, Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei’s special representative to Syria, and Javad Torkabadi, Tehran’s ambassador to Damascus, were among keynote speakers at the event. Hundreds of people attended the celebration at the historic Sayyidah Zaynab Mosque in southern Damascus.

The United States is seeking to keep a significant military presence in Iraq and the broader region after the fall of the Islamic State, warns an article in the Islamic Republic News Agency. The author points out that pro-Syrian regime forces have made important territorial gains against the Islamic State recently and claims that the lifting of a siege over the eastern city of Deir Ezzor marks the beginning of the terrorist group’s end.

A senior commander of the Iranian Navy reiterated that the country’s naval forces had warned an American military vessel to avoid approaching a drowning Ira

An article in Fars News Agency rejects President Hassan Rouhani’s recent claim that anti-Iran sanctions are irreversible and calls on the government to strengthen Iran’s “resistance economy” to counter new U.S. sanctions. Fars is affiliated with the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (I.R.G.C.). The author argues that if Washington walks away from the nuclear agreement, the U.S. Treasury and Congress will re-impose all pre-deal sanctions – which will deter international companies and banks from doing business with Iran.

As the Iraqi Kurdistan is set to hold an independence referendum on September 25, Iranian leaders and media outlets continue to warn against the consequences of such a move.

The deputy head of the Iranian Parliament has called for the creation of a joint military forces by Muslim countries to stop violence against Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar.

Ammar al-Hakim, a senior Iraqi Shiite politician and cleric, has rejected reports that relations between Tehran and Iraqi Shiite leaders have been souring lately.

According to an agreement between the United States, Jordan, Russia and Syria, armed opposition groups will voluntarily leave eastern Damascus for Jordan, from where they will ultimately be transferred al-Hasakah Governorate in northeastern Syria, Fars News Agency reports. The Iranian outlet adds that two U.S.-backed rebel groups have reached an agreement in southeastern Damascus to surrender their weapons to the Syrian government in exchange for a safe passage to Jordan.

A commander of Iranian-backed Iraqi militia group has warned that his forces will target American troops in Iraq if they do not leave the country after the battle against the Islamic State is over, the Iranian media reported. Jafar al-Hussaini, the spokesman for Kata’ib Hezbollah (Hezbollah Brigades), also accused the United States and the leadership of the Iraqi Kurdistan of assisting Islamic State militants to safely withdraw from Tal Afar, an Iraqi city west of Mosul recently liberated from the Islamic State.