Editing Iran (section)

=== Regional influence ===
{{Main|Iranian influence in Lebanon|Iranian intervention in the Syrian civil war|Iranian intervention in Iraq (2014–present)}}
[[File:Iranian Influence (2).png|thumb|Iran and its [[sphere of influence]]]]
Iran's significant influence and foothold are sometimes characterized as the "Dawn of A New Persian Empire."<ref>{{Cite web |title=Are We Witnessing The Dawn Of A New Persian Empire? |url=https://en.radiofarda.com/a/iran-influence-in-middle-east-new-empire/28735042.html |access-date=31 January 2024 |website=en.radiofarda.com|date=14 September 2017 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Qatar |first=Middle East, politics, GCC, Iran, Syria, Iraq, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Nuclear deal, Yemen, Trump, MENA, Turkey, Gulf Crisis |title=Future Center – Can Iran turn itself into a "neo-Persian Empire"? |url=https://futureuae.com/en-US/Mainpage/Item/1997/far-fetched-goal-can-iran-turn-itself-into-a-neo-persian-empire |access-date=31 January 2024 |website=Futureuae |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Handberg |first=Hjalte |date=1 January 2019 |title=Understanding Iranian Proxy Warfare: A Historical Analysis of the Relational Development of the Islamic Republic of Iran and Iraqi Insurgencies |url=https://www.diva-portal.org/smash/get/diva2:1482158/FULLTEXT01.pdf |website=Diva Portal}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=14 April 2024 |title=China, Russia and Iran Are Reviving the Age of Empires |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/opinion/features/2024-04-14/china-russia-and-iran-are-rebuilding-empires-to-defeat-us-europe |access-date=1 May 2024 |work=Bloomberg.com |language=en}}</ref> Some analysts associate the Iranian influence to the nation's proud [[Iranian nationalism|national legacy]], [[Achaemenid Empire|empire]] and [[History of Iran|history]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Aaberg |first=John |date=15 September 2019 |title=Understanding Iranian Proxy Warfare: A Historical Analysis of the Relational Development of the Islamic Republic of Iran and Iraqi Insurgencies |url=http://www.diva-portal.org/smash/get/diva2:1482158/FULLTEXT01.pdf |access-date=3 April 2024 |website=Diva Portal}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=The Rise of the Iranian Empire |url=http://www.thetower.org/article/the-rise-of-the-iranian-empire/ |access-date=31 January 2024 |website=The Tower |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Dagres |first=Holly |date=28 January 2019 |title=Persia is back, but in a different form |url=https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/blogs/iransource/persia-is-back-but-in-a-different-form/ |access-date=31 January 2024 |website=Atlantic Council |language=en-US}}</ref>

Since the [[Iranian Revolution|Revolution]], Iran has grown its influence across and beyond the region.<ref>{{Cite web |date=1 August 2015 |title=The Challenge of Iran |url=https://iranprimer.usip.org/resource/challenge-iran |access-date=30 January 2024 |website=[[United States Institute of Peace]] |language=en |archive-date=30 January 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240130174231/https://iranprimer.usip.org/resource/challenge-iran |url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Iran, a Geopolitical Player in the Middle East |url=https://www.iemed.org/publication/iran-a-geopolitical-player-in-the-middle-east/ |access-date=30 January 2024 |website=www.iemed.org |language=en-US |archive-date=30 January 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240130174232/https://www.iemed.org/publication/iran-a-geopolitical-player-in-the-middle-east/ |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Team |first=G. P. F. |date=16 February 2018 |title=Iranian Expansion Spreads Beyond the Middle East |url=https://geopoliticalfutures.com/iranian-expansion-spreads-beyond-middle-east/ |access-date=31 January 2024 |website=Geopolitical Futures |language=en-US |archive-date=31 January 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240131115020/https://geopoliticalfutures.com/iranian-expansion-spreads-beyond-middle-east/ |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=New report reveals extent of Iran's growing Middle East influence |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/11/7/new-report-reveals-extent-of-irans-growing-middle-east-influence |access-date=31 January 2024 |website=Al Jazeera |language=en |archive-date=31 January 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240131115020/https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/11/7/new-report-reveals-extent-of-irans-growing-middle-east-influence |url-status=live}}</ref> It has built military forces with a wide network of state and none-state actors, starting with Hezbollah in Lebanon in 1982.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Kane |first=J. Robert |date=2018 |title=A Life Cycle Analysis of Hezbollah: Where the Group Came from and Where It Is Going |journal=American Intelligence Journal |volume=35 |issue=2 |pages=67–73 |jstor=26566567}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Hezbollah's Record on War & Politics {{!}} Wilson Center |url=https://www.wilsoncenter.org/article/hezbollahs-record-war-politics |access-date=30 January 2024 |website=wilsoncenter.org |date=25 October 2023 |language=en |archive-date=31 January 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240131093311/https://www.wilsoncenter.org/article/hezbollahs-record-war-politics |url-status=live}}</ref> The [[Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps|IRGC]] has been key to Iranian influence, through its [[Quds Force]].<ref>{{Cite news |date=8 April 2019 |title=Profile: Iran's Revolutionary Guards |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-47852262 |access-date=30 January 2024 |language=en-GB |archive-date=16 March 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220316054026/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-47852262 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="auto10">{{Cite web |title=Hezbollah's Regional Activities in Support of Iran's Proxy Networks |url=https://www.mei.edu/publications/hezbollahs-regional-activities-support-irans-proxy-networks |access-date=30 January 2024 |website=Middle East Institute |language=en |archive-date=13 May 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230513224544/https://www.mei.edu/publications/hezbollahs-regional-activities-support-irans-proxy-networks |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last=DeVore |first=Marc R. |date=2012 |title=Exploring the Iran-Hezbollah Relationship: A Case Study of how State Sponsorship affects Terrorist Group Decision-Making |journal=Perspectives on Terrorism |volume=6 |issue=4/5 |pages=85–107 |jstor=26296878}}</ref> The instability in Lebanon (from the 1980s),<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Kliot |first=N. |date=1987 |title=The Collapse of the Lebanese State |journal=Middle Eastern Studies |volume=23 |issue=1 |pages=54–74 |doi=10.1080/00263208708700688 |jstor=4283154}}</ref> [[Iraq]] (from 2003)<ref>{{Cite news |date=19 March 2023 |title=War, insurgency, IS and instability: Iraq since the 2003 US invasion |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/mar/19/war-insurgency-is-and-instability-iraq-since-the-2003-us-invasion |access-date=30 January 2024 |work=The Guardian |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077}}</ref> and [[Yemen]] (from 2014)<ref>{{Cite web |date=17 October 2023 |title=The Saudi-led War in Yemen: Frequently Asked Questions {{!}} Friends Committee On National Legislation |url=https://www.fcnl.org/issues/middle-east-iran/saudi-led-war-yemen-frequently-asked-questions |access-date=30 January 2024 |website=www.fcnl.org |language=en |archive-date=28 January 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240128135958/https://www.fcnl.org/issues/middle-east-iran/saudi-led-war-yemen-frequently-asked-questions |url-status=live}}</ref> has allowed Iran to build strong alliances and footholds beyond its borders. Iran has a prominent influence in the social services, education, economy and politics of Lebanon,<ref name="auto3">{{Cite journal |jstor=resrep20960.6 |title=Hezbollahʼs Intervention in the Syrian Conflict |last1=Ali |first1=Mohanad Hage |journal=Power Points Defining the Syria-Hezbollah Relationship |date=30 January 2024 |pages=8–13}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last=Akbar |first=Ali |date=8 August 2023 |title=Iran's soft power in the Middle East via the promotion of the Persian language |journal=Contemporary Politics |language=en |volume=29 |issue=4 |pages=424–445 |doi=10.1080/13569775.2023.2169305 |issn=1356-9775 |doi-access=free}}</ref> and Lebanon provides Iran access to the [[Mediterranean Sea]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Tehran's Corridor to the Mediterranean Sea – EUROPolitika |url=https://www.europolitika.com/tehrans-corridor-to-the-mediterranean-sea/ |access-date=30 January 2024 |language=tr |archive-date=30 January 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240130174232/https://www.europolitika.com/tehrans-corridor-to-the-mediterranean-sea/ |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=23 December 2023 |title=Iran Threatens Mediterranean Closure Over Gaza Without Saying How |url=https://www.voanews.com/a/iran-threatens-mediterranean-closure-over-gaza-without-saying-how/7409793.html |access-date=30 January 2024 |website=Voice of America |language=en |archive-date=30 January 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240130174231/https://www.voanews.com/a/iran-threatens-mediterranean-closure-over-gaza-without-saying-how/7409793.html |url-status=live}}</ref> Hezbollah's strategic successes against Israel, such as its symbolic victory during the [[2006 Lebanon War|2006 Israel–Hezbollah War]], elevated Iran's influence in the [[Levant]] and strengthened its appeal across the [[Muslim world|Muslim World]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Iran Thrives In The Levant On Weakened States Threatened By Sunni Radicalism |url=https://www.hoover.org/research/iranian-corridor-middle-east-geopolitics-sectarianism-and-economic-integration |access-date=30 January 2024 |website=Hoover Institution |language=en |archive-date=30 January 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240130174230/https://www.hoover.org/research/iranian-corridor-middle-east-geopolitics-sectarianism-and-economic-integration |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite report |url=https://apps.dtic.mil/sti/citations/ADA560123 |title=How to Contain Iranian Influence in the Levant |language=en |access-date=30 January 2024 |archive-date=30 January 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240130174232/https://apps.dtic.mil/sti/citations/ADA560123 |url-status=live}}</ref>

Since the [[2003 invasion of Iraq|US invasion of Iraq in 2003]] and the arrival of [[Islamic State|ISIS]] in the mid-2010s, Iran has financed and trained militia groups in Iraq.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Institute for the Study of War |url=http://dev-isw.bivings.com/ |access-date=23 March 2024 |website=Institute for the Study of War |language=en |archive-date=25 March 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220325065358/https://www.understandingwar.org/backgrounder/russian-offensive-campaign-assessment-march-24 |url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Feyli |first=Luca Nevola, Miran |date=23 May 2023 |title=The Muqawama and Its Enemies: Shifting Patterns in Iran-Backed Shiite Militia Activity in Iraq |url=https://acleddata.com/2023/05/23/the-muqawama-and-its-enemies-shifting-patterns-in-iran-backed-shiite-militia-activity-in-iraq/ |access-date=30 January 2024 |website=ACLED |language=en-US |archive-date=30 January 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240130174231/https://acleddata.com/2023/05/23/the-muqawama-and-its-enemies-shifting-patterns-in-iran-backed-shiite-militia-activity-in-iraq/ |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="auto4">{{Cite web |last=Knights |first=Crispin Smith, Michael |date=20 March 2023 |title=Remaking Iraq: How Iranian-Backed Militias Captured the Country |url=https://www.justsecurity.org/85566/remaking-iraq-how-iranian-backed-militias-captured-the-country/ |access-date=30 January 2024 |website=Just Security |language=en-US |archive-date=30 January 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240130174230/https://www.justsecurity.org/85566/remaking-iraq-how-iranian-backed-militias-captured-the-country/ |url-status=live}}</ref> Since the [[Iran–Iraq War|Iran-Iraq war]] in 1980s and the fall of [[Saddam Hussein]], Iran has shaped Iraq's politics.<ref>{{Cite web |title=How Much Influence Does Iran Have in Iraq? |url=https://www.cfr.org/in-brief/how-much-influence-does-iran-have-iraq |access-date=30 January 2024 |website=Council on Foreign Relations |language=en |archive-date=30 March 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230330011242/https://www.cfr.org/in-brief/how-much-influence-does-iran-have-iraq |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Iran is still the main foreign power in Iraq |url=https://www.ispionline.it/en/publication/iran-is-still-the-main-foreign-power-in-iraq-121476 |access-date=30 January 2024 |website=ISPI |language=en-US |archive-date=30 January 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240130175734/https://www.ispionline.it/en/publication/iran-is-still-the-main-foreign-power-in-iraq-121476 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Motamedi |first=Maziar |title=Where does Iran stand on neighbouring Iraq's political turmoil? |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/8/31/where-does-iran-stand-on-neighbouring-iraqs-political-turmoil |access-date=30 January 2024 |website=Al Jazeera |language=en |archive-date=30 January 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240130174230/https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/8/31/where-does-iran-stand-on-neighbouring-iraqs-political-turmoil |url-status=live}}</ref> Following Iraq's struggle against ISIS in 2014, companies linked to the IRGC such as [[Khatam-al Anbiya Construction Headquarters|Khatam al-Anbiya]], started to build roads, power plants, hotels and businesses in Iraq, creating an economic corridor worth around $9 billion before [[COVID-19]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=افزایش صادرات ایران به عراق تا 9 میلیارد دلار/ در تجارت با منطقه جایگاه مناسبی نداریم |url=https://khabarfarsi.com/u/111389054 |access-date=30 January 2024 |website=KhabarFarsi.com |language=fa |archive-date=30 January 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240130174231/https://khabarfarsi.com/u/111389054 |url-status=live}}</ref> This is expected to grow to $20 billion.<ref>{{Cite web |date=23 July 2019 |title=Iran-Iraq $20b trade target not out of reach: CBI governor |url=https://www.tehrantimes.com/news/438485/Iran-Iraq-20b-trade-target-not-out-of-reach-CBI-governor |access-date=30 January 2024 |website=Tehran Times |language=en |archive-date=28 October 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211028021552/https://www.tehrantimes.com/news/438485/Iran-Iraq-20b-trade-target-not-out-of-reach-CBI-governor |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="auto11">{{Cite web |date=16 November 2020 |title=Iran, Iraq targeting annual trade vol. $20b |url=https://en.mehrnews.com/news/165930/Iran-Iraq-targeting-annual-trade-vol-20b |access-date=30 January 2024 |website=Mehr News Agency |language=en |archive-date=30 January 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240130174231/https://en.mehrnews.com/news/165930/Iran-Iraq-targeting-annual-trade-vol-20b |url-status=live}}</ref>
[[File:Achaemenid Empire 500 BCE.jpg|thumb|Achaemenid Empire in 500 BCE]]
During [[Yemeni civil war (2014–present)|Yemen's civil war]], Iran provided military support to the Houthis,<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Houthis, Iran, and tensions in the Red Sea |url=https://www.mei.edu/publications/houthis-iran-and-tensions-red-sea |access-date=30 January 2024 |website=Middle East Institute |language=en |archive-date=30 January 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240130174230/https://www.mei.edu/publications/houthis-iran-and-tensions-red-sea |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=23 August 2021 |title=How Iran Helped Houthis Expand Their Reach |url=https://warontherocks.com/2021/08/how-iran-helped-houthis-expand-their-reach/ |access-date=30 January 2024 |website=War on the Rocks |language=en-US |archive-date=30 January 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240130174230/https://warontherocks.com/2021/08/how-iran-helped-houthis-expand-their-reach/ |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Lester |first=Stephanie |date=19 December 2019 |title=Media Guide: Iran and the Yemeni Civil War |url=http://www.us-iran.org/resources/2019/12/19/media-guide-iran-and-the-yemeni-civil-war |access-date=30 January 2024 |website=American Iranian Council |language=en-US |archive-date=30 January 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240130174230/http://www.us-iran.org/resources/2019/12/19/media-guide-iran-and-the-yemeni-civil-war |url-status=live}}</ref> a [[Zaydism|Zaydi]] Shia movement fighting Yemen's [[Sunni Islam|Sunni]] government since 2004.<ref>{{Cite web |date=29 December 2023 |title=5 Things to Know About the Houthis, Their Attacks on Israel and the U.S., and Their Treatment of Yemen's Jews {{!}} AJC |url=https://www.ajc.org/news/5-things-to-know-about-the-houthis-their-attacks-on-israel-and-the-us-and-their-treatment-of |access-date=30 January 2024 |website=www.ajc.org |language=en |archive-date=30 January 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240130174230/https://www.ajc.org/news/5-things-to-know-about-the-houthis-their-attacks-on-israel-and-the-us-and-their-treatment-of |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Ignatius |first=David |date=16 January 2024 |title=Opinion {{!}} The Houthis sink an arrow into the West's Achilles' heel |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2024/01/16/red-sea-houthis-supply-chain-disruption/ |access-date=30 January 2024 |newspaper=Washington Post |language=en-US |issn=0190-8286 |archive-date=17 January 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240117171545/https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2024/01/16/red-sea-houthis-supply-chain-disruption/ |url-status=live}}</ref> They gained [[Red Sea crisis|significant power]] in recent years.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Yemen's Houthi rebels seize cargo ship in Red Sea |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/11/19/yemens-houthi-rebels-seize-cargo-ship-in-red-sea-israel-blames-iran |access-date=23 March 2024 |website=Al Jazeera |language=en |archive-date=24 March 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240324024030/https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/11/19/yemens-houthi-rebels-seize-cargo-ship-in-red-sea-israel-blames-iran |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2 March 2024 |title=A ship earlier hit by Yemen's Houthi rebels sinks in the Red Sea, the first vessel lost in conflict |url=https://apnews.com/article/yemen-houthi-rebels-rubymar-sinks-red-sea-fb64a490ce935756337ee3606e15d093 |access-date=23 March 2024 |website=AP News |language=en |archive-date=23 March 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240323071241/https://apnews.com/article/yemen-houthi-rebels-rubymar-sinks-red-sea-fb64a490ce935756337ee3606e15d093 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Clinch |first=Matt |date=25 March 2022 |title=Yemen's Houthis claim attack on Aramco facility after reports of a huge fire in Saudi city of Jeddah |url=https://www.cnbc.com/2022/03/25/reports-of-huge-fire-at-aramco-oil-facility-in-saudi-arabia.html |access-date=23 March 2024 |website=CNBC |language=en |archive-date=26 March 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220326083516/https://www.cnbc.com/2022/03/25/reports-of-huge-fire-at-aramco-oil-facility-in-saudi-arabia.html |url-status=live}}</ref> Iran has considerable influence in [[Afghanistan]] and [[Pakistan]] through militant groups such as [[Liwa Fatemiyoun]] and [[Liwa Zainebiyoun]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=13 February 2018 |title=Mission Accomplished? What's Next for Iran's Afghan Fighters in Syria |url=https://warontherocks.com/2018/02/mission-accomplished-whats-next-irans-afghan-fighters-syria/ |access-date=25 March 2024 |website=War on the Rocks |language=en-US |archive-date=14 May 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190514235532/https://warontherocks.com/2018/02/mission-accomplished-whats-next-irans-afghan-fighters-syria/ |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2 May 2016 |title=Meet the Zainebiyoun Brigade: An Iranian Backed Pakistani Shia Militia Fighting in Syria – The OSINT Blog |url=https://theosintblog.com/2016/04/28/meet-the-zainebiyoun-brigade-an-iranian-backed-pakistani-shia-militia-fighting-in-syria/ |access-date=25 March 2024 |archive-date=2 May 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160502213753/https://theosintblog.com/2016/04/28/meet-the-zainebiyoun-brigade-an-iranian-backed-pakistani-shia-militia-fighting-in-syria/ |url-status=bot: unknown}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=28 July 2021 |title=Iran's Tricky Balancing Act in Afghanistan |url=https://warontherocks.com/2021/07/irans-tricky-balancing-act-in-afghanistan/ |access-date=25 March 2024 |website=War on the Rocks |language=en-US |archive-date=22 March 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220322050754/https://warontherocks.com/2021/07/irans-tricky-balancing-act-in-afghanistan/ |url-status=live}}</ref>

In [[Syria]], Iran has supported President [[Bashar al-Assad]];<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Terrill |first=W. Andrew |date=2015 |title=Iran's Strategy for Saving Asad |journal=Middle East Journal |volume=69 |issue=2 |pages=222–236 |doi=10.3751/69.2.1 |jstor=43698235}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=30 July 2012 |title=Iran's Evolving Policy on Syria |url=https://iranprimer.usip.org/blog/2012/jul/30/iran%E2%80%99s-evolving-policy-syria |access-date=30 January 2024 |website=[[United States Institute of Peace]] |language=en |archive-date=30 January 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240130174231/https://iranprimer.usip.org/blog/2012/jul/30/iran%E2%80%99s-evolving-policy-syria |url-status=dead}}</ref> the two countries are long-standing allies.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Samii |first=Abbas William |date=2008 |title=A Stable Structure on Shifting Sands: Assessing the Hizbullah-Iran-Syria Relationship |journal=Middle East Journal |volume=62 |issue=1 |pages=32–53 |doi=10.3751/62.1.12 |jstor=25482471}}</ref><ref name="auto2">{{Cite web |title=Institute for the Study of War |url=http://dev-isw.bivings.com/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220325065358/https://www.understandingwar.org/backgrounder/russian-offensive-campaign-assessment-march-24 |archive-date=25 March 2022 |access-date=30 January 2024 |website=Institute for the Study of War |language=en}}</ref> Iran has provided significant military and economic support to Assad's government,<ref name="auto12">{{Cite web |date=30 December 2023 |title=Why is Iran Involved in Syria: A Look at Multifaceted Reasons |url=https://bestdiplomats.org/why-is-iran-involved-in-syria/ |access-date=30 January 2024 |language=en-US |archive-date=30 January 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240130174231/https://bestdiplomats.org/why-is-iran-involved-in-syria/ |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Iran Update, September 20, 2023 |url=https://www.criticalthreats.org/analysis/iran-update-september-20-2023 |access-date=30 January 2024 |website=Critical Threats |archive-date=30 January 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240130174232/https://www.criticalthreats.org/analysis/iran-update-september-20-2023 |url-status=live}}</ref> so has a considerable foothold in Syria.<ref>{{Cite web |title=After 7 years of war, Assad has won in Syria. What's next for Washington? |url=https://www.brookings.edu/articles/after-7-years-of-war-assad-has-won-in-syria-whats-next-for-washington/ |access-date=30 January 2024 |website=Brookings |language=en-US |archive-date=30 January 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240130174231/https://www.brookings.edu/articles/after-7-years-of-war-assad-has-won-in-syria-whats-next-for-washington/ |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Syria's Stalemate Has Only Benefitted Assad and His Backers |url=https://www.usip.org/publications/2023/03/syrias-stalemate-has-only-benefitted-assad-and-his-backers |access-date=30 January 2024 |website=United States Institute of Peace |language=en |archive-date=18 March 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230318081024/https://www.usip.org/publications/2023/03/syrias-stalemate-has-only-benefitted-assad-and-his-backers |url-status=dead}}</ref> Iran has long supported the anti-Israel fronts in [[North Africa]] in countries like [[Algeria]] and [[Tunisia]], embracing [[Hamas]] in part to help undermine the popularity of the [[Palestine Liberation Organization|Palestinian Liberation Organization]] (PLO).<ref>{{Cite web |title=Iran and Hamas beyond the borders of the Middle East |url=https://www.mei.edu/publications/iran-and-hamas-beyond-borders-middle-east |access-date=30 January 2024 |website=Middle East Institute |language=en |archive-date=30 January 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240130174231/https://www.mei.edu/publications/iran-and-hamas-beyond-borders-middle-east |url-status=live}}</ref> Iran's support of Hamas emerged more clearly in later years.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Skare |first=Erik |date=18 December 2023 |title=Iran, Hamas, and Islamic Jihad: A marriage of convenience |url=https://ecfr.eu/article/iran-hamas-and-islamic-jihad-a-marriage-of-convenience/ |access-date=30 January 2024 |website=ECFR |language=en-GB |archive-date=16 January 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240116122514/https://ecfr.eu/article/iran-hamas-and-islamic-jihad-a-marriage-of-convenience/ |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=The Hamas-Iran Relationship {{!}} The Washington Institute |url=https://www.washingtoninstitute.org/policy-analysis/hamas-iran-relationship |access-date=30 January 2024 |website=www.washingtoninstitute.org |language=en |archive-date=30 January 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240130174230/https://www.washingtoninstitute.org/policy-analysis/hamas-iran-relationship |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Hamas And Israel: Iran's Role {{!}} Wilson Center |url=https://www.wilsoncenter.org/article/hamas-and-israel-irans-role |access-date=30 January 2024 |website=www.wilsoncenter.org |date=10 October 2023 |language=en |archive-date=30 January 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240130174231/https://www.wilsoncenter.org/article/hamas-and-israel-irans-role |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Lillis |first=Jake Tapper, Katie Bo |date=14 November 2023 |title=Found document suggests Iran sought to help Hamas make its own weapons ahead of attack, sources say {{!}} CNN Politics |url=https://www.cnn.com/2023/11/14/politics/document-iran-hamas-weapons/index.html |access-date=30 January 2024 |website=CNN |language=en |archive-date=30 January 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240130174230/https://www.cnn.com/2023/11/14/politics/document-iran-hamas-weapons/index.html |url-status=live}}</ref> According to US intelligence, Iran does not have full control over these state and non-state groups.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2 January 2024 |title=US intelligence officials estimate Tehran does not have full control of its proxy groups |url=https://www.politico.com/news/2024/02/01/iran-proxies-intel-houthis-00139099 |website=Politico |access-date=15 March 2024 |archive-date=29 March 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240329202849/https://www.politico.com/news/2024/02/01/iran-proxies-intel-houthis-00139099 |url-status=live}}</ref>