Iranian influence map
English - Monday 17 February 2020 الساعة 09:56 am
Aden, Newsyemen :
Despite the crises plaguing the Iranian interior, Tehran is expanding its influence in seven countries, five of which are Arab and two are Islamic.
According to a map published by the Munich Security Report 2020, Iran has influence in its neighbor, Iraq, and there is control within Syria, Lebanon, Yemen, the Palestinian Territories, Afghanistan, and Pakistan.
Iran is a major player in the Middle East, as its role is fueled by numerous regional conflicts, especially in Syria, Iraq and Yemen.
The map shows the presence of at least four major militias backed by Iran in Iraq, which include Asaib Ahl al-Haq, the Badr Organization, the Hezbollah Brigades, and the al-Najaba Movement, not to mention the PMF.
In Syria, four major militias owe allegiance to Tehran, which includes 313 forces, Al-Baqir Brigade, Al-Rida forces, and other Syrian armed groups, according to the report, not to mention the financial and military support it provides to the regime of President Bashar al-Assad, according to Agence France-Presse.
In Lebanon, the main representative of Iran is the Lebanese Hezbollah, which it also uses to implement a number of its policies and interventions in other countries.
In Yemen, the Ansar Allah group, known as the Houthis, is their main representative in the country, and it is one of the most prominent parties to the conflict that has claimed tens of thousands of civilians since 2014, as the war escalated between the Houthis and the forces loyal to the recognized president, Abd Rabbuh Mansour Hadi, which was followed by coalition intervention Led by Saudi Arabia in March 2015.
In the Palestinian Territories, Tehran has supported Hamas, which has controlled the Gaza Strip since 2009.
In Afghanistan, Tehran supports the Fatimid Brigade. In Pakistan, the Zaynabiyoun Brigade, and many elements of these two brigades are fighting in Syria, which includes thousands of young Pakistani and Afghan Shiites.
Since May 2018, the United States, headed by Donald Trump, announced its withdrawal from the agreement as being too lenient toward Iran, before reimposing economic sanctions.
Iran has responded with a gradual reversal since May 2019 of its obligations under the agreement, while its economy is facing a difficult time because of the sanctions.
An analysis of Foreign Policy magazine said that Iran was suffering from financial and political bankruptcy due to the US sanctions, which make it unable to continue to protect "corrupt politicians and its militias" in Iraq and Lebanon.
