Iran International
Iran’s new Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told state television that Tehran will fully back its ‘Resistance Front’ in the region by providing “unlimited support,” as Israel tries to fully defeat the Palestinian Hamas.
“The government’s policy is to provide unlimited support to the resistance. We will support the resistance front, which has established itself as a reality in the region. The regime [Israel] has so far failed to achieve its main goal of destroying Hamas,” Araghchi stated.
However, the foreign minister signaled that Tehran is reluctant to get directly involved in a wider conflict. According to Tasnim website affiliated with Iran’s Revolutionary Guard, he maintained that Iran would continue its support for the Resistance Front but “remains vigilant against traps that might be set to draw us into the conflict. We are monitoring regional developments with intelligence and awareness.”
Speaking about foreign policy, Araghchi highlighted relations with neighbors, in the absence of a real chance to resolve issues with West at this juncture. “We seek comprehensive and balanced diplomacy and aim to expand our communications. My colleagues are currently planning. When a head of state makes their first visit to a country, it signifies importance to us. The message of the President’s visit to Iraq was that our priority is first and foremost our neighbors.”
The foreign minister did not indicate any current discussions with the United States, noting that the Americans are in the midst of an election season. However, he announced that Iran is ready to engage in discussions with Europe "on the basis of equality."
“Europeans need to understand Iran’s concerns. If they have concerns, so do we. We have issues with Europe regarding sanctions and economic matters. Using failed tools is not the solution. Various sanctions were imposed on the nuclear program before, but they had to come to the negotiating table. It is clear that sanctions have failed,” Araghchi argued.
Despite the occasional denials by Iranian officials about the impact of sanctions, Iran’s economic crisis continues to deepen. Bread prices were more than doubled recently and politicians and experts warn of a much larger budget deficit in the coming fiscal year starting in March 2025.
Araghchi talked about the latest contentious issue of ballistic missile deliveries to Russia that have seriously alarmed the United States and its European allies, who have issued more targeted sanctions.
Araghchi appeared to be using the issue as a quid-pro-quo with Europe, not outright denying the accusation. “They are concerned about Iran exporting advanced weapons to Ukraine. If Europe is genuinely concerned, the solution is dignified dialogue. It is not reasonable to expect that their concerns will be addressed unilaterally. We are ready to engage in dialogue with Europe. Currently, establishing relations with Europe is not a priority for us,” the Iranian foreign minister stated.
Earlier this month, Western government began warning that Iran was delivering 200 short-range Fath-360 ballistic missiles to Russia for use in its war against Ukraine. Tehran earlier issued vague denials, but some lawmakers confirmed the news. Also, Iran's delivery of thousands of kamikaze drones to Russia since mid-2022 make the Western accusation more credible. The use of these drones against non-military targets are well documented and even Tehran, after some denials, has claimed that the weapons were delivered before Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Turki al-Faisal, a former Saudi intelligence chief, said the West must also do more to deter the Iran-backed Houthi terror group in Yemen amidst the Red Sea blockade as the group holds the world "hostage".
Houthis began attacking international shipping in the Red Sea region last fall after Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei called for blockading Israel. They have expanded their reach far beyond Yemen disrupting a key global trade route.
Speaking at Chatham House in London, al-Faisal said on Friday: “The Houthis now hold the world as hostage in the Bab al-Mandab entrance to the Red Sea, and yet Iran is not showing that it can do something there if it wanted to, and the kingdom would have expected Iran to be more forthcoming in showing not just to us but to others that it can be a positive factor in securing stability and removing differences not just with Saudi Arabia but the rest of us.”
Dozens of projectiles have been fired at commercial vessels and dozens of hostages taken amid the blockade initially aimed at forcing an Israeli ceasefire in Gaza.
Iran also continues to destabilize countries including Syria, Lebanon and Iraq, which al-Faisal said had broken the terms of the 2023 agreement.
However, according to the UK's The Guardian, al-Faisal has said that the West's "pinprick bombings" carried out by the UK and US on Houthi infrastructure, is not enough to quash the group, armed, funded and trained by Iran.
In a frank admission, al-Faisal said the kingdom is disappointed in Iran's having broken its promise to limit the influence of its terror groups in the region, agreed upon last year when the two countries resumed diplomatic relations after several years' hiatus.
During the session at Chatham House, he said more must be done by the global community to combat the Red Sea blockade which began in November.
“We have seen the deployment of European and US fleets along the Red Sea coast and more can be done there to interdict the supply of weaponry that comes to the Houthis from Iran,” he said.
“Putting pressure on Iran by the world community can have a positive impact on what the Houthis can do in launching these missiles and drones to hit international commerce.”
On Sunday, a missile penetrated Israel's air defence systems, threatening once again, to inflame tensions amidst the war in Gaza which has seen Iran's proxies in the region surround Israel since the Hamas invasion of the Jewish state on October 7.
A former Royal Navy Commander told Iran International’s podcast Eye for Iran that Iran is winning against the Americans in the Red Sea, through their proxy the Houthis.
Tom Sharpe, who worked alongside the Americans in the Red Sea for two decades, witnessed their might as the most powerful navy in the world but in spite of that, under the tutelage of Iran, the Houthis have not been deterred by the limited US defensive and allied retaliatory actions.
“They're achieving their ends, all of them, and we're achieving none of ours. We're spending millions and millions of dollars on not winning. It's a real problem," he warned.
Critics say the US's risk aversion has meant that just like its kid gloves approach to Iran, the deterrence to its terror groups such as the Houthis is failing.
Rear Adm. Marc Miguez, a US Navy commander from the Dwight D Eisenhower Carrier Strike Group, told Ward Carroll's YouTube episode that more aggressive strikes on the Houthis were necessary.
"There are definite strategies that were put forward, but our National Command Authority decided that those - I would call more aggressive postures and more aggressive strikes - was not something we wanted to challenge," Miguez said last month.
Jason Brodsky, the policy director for United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI), agreed that the Biden administration's inability to deter Iran has led to an emboldened stance not only from the Islamic Republic but also, its proxies.
“We have a deterrence deficit with Iran. They have been attacking our forces. They have been attacking commercial vessels, with impunity since October 2023,” he said.
Masoud Pezeshkian’s visit to Baghdad was steeped in high expectations, underscored by the announcement that over a dozen agreements were signed with Iraq. Yet, behind the fanfare, sources close to the negotiations revealed to Iran International that the economic objectives of the visit largely fell short.
Despite signing 14 memoranda of understanding, which signal some consensus on several fronts, the absence of concrete cooperation agreements and joint statements suggested a lack of substantive progress.
A critical point of contention emerged during Pezeshkian's meeting with Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein. Informed sources disclosed that Pezeshkian proposed settling Iraq's substantial debt to Tehran through a joint currency mechanism, modeled after the Russia-Iraq financial arrangement.
However, the proposal was met with firm resistance from the Iraqi side, with Hussein arguing that such an approach could destabilize the value of the Iraqi dinar. The meeting, which extended 40 minutes beyond its scheduled time, reflected the broader challenges Pezeshkian faces in navigating Iraq's cautious stance toward Iran's economic overtures.
Iran’s economic relationship with Iraq has long been fraught with challenges, primarily stemming from the complex interplay of sanctions and regional politics. Iran exports critical resources such as natural gas and electricity to Iraq, making it a significant energy supplier to its neighbor. According to Iranian domestic media, Iraq ranks as the second-largest destination for Iranian exports after China, with bilateral trade currently valued at approximately $12 billion.
Since 2018, US banking sanctions have complicated Iraq's ability to settle debts with Iran, despite routine waivers under both the Trump and Biden administrations permitting energy imports. The exact amount owed by Iraq remains unclear, with conflicting reports on its settlement status.
Unfulfilled promises and divergent visions
Pezeshkian's broader vision of fostering regional unity through the removal of borders between Islamic countries, analogous to the European Union's Schengen Agreement, found little traction among Iraqi leaders.
His call for a borderless Islamic bloc, first proposed in a meeting with the Iraqi President and later reiterated in public speeches, was met with a lukewarm response at best. The Iraqi leadership, probably wary of Iran's expansive regional ambitions, showed little enthusiasm for a concept that would likely diminish their sovereignty and complicate Iraq's delicate balancing act between competing regional powers.
The lack of a joint statement at the conclusion of Pezeshkian’s visit further underscored the disconnect between the two nations. Typically a symbolic gesture of diplomatic alignment, the absence of such a communiqué hinted at underlying tensions.
Security concerns and engagement with Kurdish leaders
While economic objectives dominated the official narrative of Pezeshkian's visit, security considerations were equally pivotal, particularly in relation to Iraq's autonomous Kurdistan region.
Pezeshkian’s personal touch, including his ability to converse in Kurdish and shared cultural ties, played a notable role in easing some of the tension that had been inflamed by recent IRGC military actions against Kurdish groups.
Pezeshkian's engagements with Kurdistan’s Prime Minister Masrour Barzani and veteran Kurdish leader Masoud Barzani underscored a strategic attempt to mitigate long-standing political misunderstandings and foster a more cooperative relationship. However, this softening of ties appeared to rely heavily on Pezeshkian’s personal rapport rather than a concrete shift in policy or security strategy.
While Pezeshkian’s personal diplomacy may have momentarily eased tensions with Kurdish leaders, the broader objectives of his visit, to secure economic gains and bolster regional influence, remain unfulfilled, casting a reflective light on the nuanced and often challenging path ahead for Iran's new administration on the international stage.
