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Marie Abdi is an Iranian political researcher focusing on the Islamic Republic’s domestic and regional strategies. Her areas of research include the Iranian leaders’ policies, Iran’s security and military institutions, and the power struggle within the country’s ruling factions.
Hossein Amirabdollahian: A Quds Force favorite becomes Iran’s new foreign minister (Part 1)
Hossein Amirabdollahian, Iran’s new foreign minister, is famous for his exceptionally close relationship with the Quds Force, the foreign operations branch of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), as well as its regional allies.
the years leading up to the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan, the Taliban had strained relations with Iran. Tensions between the two sides escalated to the point that the Iranian government and the Quds Force actually assisted American forces during the 2001 U.S.-led invasion.
Tehran’s policy toward the Afghan Taliban has created new clashes within Iranian government circles. These clashes recently escalated as influential hard-line media and associates of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) made public efforts to portray the Taliban in a positive light.
