Spotlight on Iran December 30, 2018 - January 13, 2019 Author: Dr. Raz Zimmt - January 13, 2019

Spotlight on Iran
December 30, 2018 - January 13, 2019

Author: Dr. Raz Zimmt

                                                 Overview
            Against the backdrop of President Trump’s decision to withdraw U.S. troops from Syria, Iran
          welcomed the announcement by the spokesman of the Syrian Arab Army claiming that the
          Syrian military entered the city of Manbij, currently under control of the U.S.-backed Kurds,
          and raised the Syrian flag there. Meanwhile, the former Iranian Minister of Defense, Ahmad
          Vahidi, declared that whether the U.S. remains or withdraws from Syria, its decision does not
          matter, since it is clear that the American have been defeated in Syria.
             Iran is expanding its efforts to entrench its economic and civilian influence in Syria. In late
          December, the joint Syrian-Iranian economic committee convened in Tehran to discuss
          expanding cooperation between the two countries. The head of the joint economic
          committee announced the opening of an Iranian trade center in Damascus in the near future,
          as well as the establishment of a joint transportation company operated by Iran, Syria and
          Iraq. In addition, a Syrian website reported that Iran recently established two associations in
          southern Syria to provide financial assistance to needy families and relatives of pro-Iranian
          militiamen killed while fighting in Syria. It appears that due to the challenges Iran faces,
          particularly from Israel, in trying to establish strategic military infrastructure on Syrian soil,
          Iran is striving to preserve and even expand its influence in Syria by increasingly relying on
          Syrian manpower and on pro-Iranian Shi’ite militias, as well as by expanding economic and
          non-military activities.
            The increasingly close cooperation between Iran and militant Palestinian organizations
          manifested in the visit to Tehran in late December of a delegation headed by the Secretary
          General of Palestinian Islamic Jihad, Ziad al-Nakhla. The delegation met with senior Iranian
          officials, chief among them the Supreme Leader, the president, the minister of foreign affairs,
          the secretary of the Supreme National Security Council and the commander of Iran’s law
          enforcement forces, who all emphasized Iran’s commitment to continue supporting the
          Palestinians. The Iranian officials also reiterated that “resistance” is the only way to achieve

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the goals of the Palestinians. The growing cooperation between Iran and the Palestinian
factions stem from a desire of Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad to increase their
deterrence vis-à-vis Israel and boost Iran’s reputation for the military and financial aid it
offers them. Iran, for its part, wishes to portray itself as the main supporter of the Palestinian
organizations to increase its sway in the Gaza Strip.

                    Iranian Involvement in Syria
  Iran welcomed the announcement of the Syrian Arab Army claiming that the Syrian military
entered the town of Manbij, east of the Euphrates, and raised the Syrian flag there. The town
is currently under the control of the U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces, which are
dominated by the Kurdish YPG militia. The Spokesman of the Iranian Ministry of Foreign
Affairs, Bahram Qasemi, stated that Iran welcomes the raising of the Syrian flag in the city and
sees it as an important step in reestablish the sovereignty of Syria’s legitimate government
over all of Syria’s territory and a step toward resolving the crisis in the country (Tasnim,
December 28, 2018).
  The former Iranian Minister of Defense, Ahmad Vahidi, who heads the Supreme National
Defense University, stated during a conference in Tehran that it is still unclear if the United
States will indeed withdraw from Syria, but it makes no difference whether the decision is
implemented or not, since it is clear that the American have been defeated in Syria. He
asserted that the United States is unable to implement its regional policy due to the clout of
the “Resistance Axis” (Tasnim, January 7, 2019).

                               Ahmad Vahidi (Tasnim, January 7, 2019)

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  In late December, the joint Iranian-Syrian economic committee met in Tehran. At the helm
of the committee were the Iranian Minister of Transportation, Mohammad Eslami and the
Syrian Minister of Economy and Foreign Trade, Mohammad Samer al-Khalil. The delegates
discussed expanding economic cooperation between the two countries. The Syrian minister
of economy declared that the two countries are determined to develop the economic ties
between them and that Syria trusts Iranian companies to play a central role in its
reconstruction and economic rehabilitation. Al-Khalil emphasized that Syria will give priority
to Iranian firms – from the public and private sectors – in awarding development projects in
Syria.
  The Iranian minister of transportation reported that an Iranian economic delegation will
leave for Syria in the next month to hold talks concerning the reconstruction process in Syria.
He invited Iranian businesspeople to participate in the delegation. He commented that the
signing of the strategic economic cooperation agreement between the two nations during
the conference in Tehran will make it easier to Iranian businesspeople to take part in
economic projects in Syria (Mehr, December 30, 2018; al-Nashra, December 30, 2018).
  During his visit to Tehran, the Syrian minister of economy met with the Iranian Central Bank
Chairman, Abdolnasser Hemmati, who reported that Tehran and Damascus agreed to expand
banking ties between the two countries. He stated that the Syrian and Iranian delegates
discussed various matters, including money transfers between the two countries, bolstering
ties between commercial banks and establishing joint banks (Fars, January 1, 2019).

         The meeting of the joint Iranian-Syrian economic committee (SANA, December 29, 2018)

  The chairman of the joint Iranian-Syria economic committee, Keyvan Kashefi, announced
the opening of an “Iranian commercial center” in the near future in Damascus. Kashefi

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reported that the preparations for the establishment of the center were carried out during
the recent visit to Syria of a delegation of economists and businesspeople. He added that
during the delegation’s visit, the representatives of the two countries also discussed
establishing a joint transportation company operated by Iran, Syria and Iraq to ferry Iranian
goods to Syria via Iraq. The delegations also discussed the possibility of executing financial
deals through foreign reserve bureaus and banks of the two countries (ISNA, January 5, 2019).
  On the occasion of the Gregorian New Year, the Representative of the Supreme Leader of
Iran in Syria, Ayatollah Seyyed Abolfazl Tabatabaei Ashkezari, met with Christian pastors,
most prominent among them the Greek-Orthodox Patriarch of the Levant, Yohanna al-Yazeji,
and declared that there is no contradiction between Islam and Christianity, arguing that the
two religions complement each other. He claimed that since its establishment, the Islamic
Republic strove to create a unified nation, comprised of different faiths and religious, which
can serve as a united front against the enemies. According to him, Israel fears this unity and
solidarity. He argued that the activities of the enemies in Syria in recent years harmed not the
Shi’ite alone but also the Christians (Aleph, January 2, 2019).

         A meeting between the representative of the Supreme Leader with the Greek-Orthodox
                                 Patriarch (Aleph, January 2, 2019).
  The Syrian opposition website, Suriya Net, reported on growing efforts by Iran to expand its
influence in the civilian sphere in southern Syria. The report on the website (December 31,
2018) stated that following a visit to southern Syria in September 2018 of the representative
of the Supreme Leader to Syria, Abolfazl Tabatabaei Ashkezari, Iran established the al-Zahraa
Association, which operates in Daraa and provides financial assistance to needy families as
well as relatives of fighters of pro-Iranian militias killed in the war in Syria. According to this

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report, in recent months, Iran disbursed a total of 35 million Syrian liras through the new
association, which is supervised by senior officials and clerics in Daraa, including a high-
ranking commander in the pro-Iranian Syrian militia “Saraya al-Areen.” Following the success
of the activities of this association, Iran established another association in the Daraa
countryside, which is supported by the “Martyr Institute” and assists families of Hezbollah
fallen fighters.

                     Iranian Involvement in Iraq
  The Adviser to the Iranian Deputy President and former Iranian Ambassador to Baghdad,
Hassan Danaeifar, reported that export of good from Iran to Iraq rose over the past Iranian
year (which started on March 21, 2018) by 40% compared to the previous year. He detailed
that 14 border crossings currently operate between Iran and Iraq, most of them for economic
activity, which attests to the importance Iran sees in trade with Iraq. Meanwhile, the head of
the Department on Arab and African Affairs at the Iranian Trade Promotion Organization
announced that the joint Iranian-Iraqi economic committee will convene in the coming
months to discuss commercial cooperation and problems in the border crossings between
the two countries (IRNA, January 6, 2019).
  The Iraqi cleric Hashem al-Haydari stated in a conference held in the city of Hamadan that
the establishment of the Shi’ite militias in Iraq, with Iran’s assistance, prevented ISIS from
precipitating a major civil war in Iraq. Haydari, who serves as the Deputy for Cultural Affairs at
the Popular Mobilization Units (al-Hashd al-Shaabi) called the Islamic Revolution in Iran “a
great miracle” and emphasized its great influence on the “Resistance Front.” He addressed
the major role played by Iran in ISIS’ defeat in Syria and Iraq, arguing that without Iran’s
intervention, ISIS would have been able to achieve its goals. He added that although Iran
faces several domestic challenges, when the Islamic Revolution succeeds beyond Iran’s
borders, it can succeed within it as well (Tasnim, January 8, 2019).

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                         Hashem al-Haydari (Tasnim, January 8, 2019)

     Iranian Involvement in the Palestinian Arena
  In late December, the Leader of Palestinian Islamic Jihad, Ziad al-Naklha, arrived for a visit
in Tehran, his first since assuming his position. The organization’s delegation included the
senior officials Khaled al-Batash, Mohammad al-Hendi, Nafez Azzam and the representative
of the group in Tehran, Nasser Abu Sharif. The delegation met with the Supreme Leader of
Iran, Ali Khamenei, President Hassan Rouhani, Minister of Foreign Affairs Mohammad Javad
Zarif, and the Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council, Ali Shamkhani.
  In his meeting with the members of the delegation, the Supreme Leader of Iran claimed that
the victory of the Palestinians in recent years forced the “Zionist regime” to its knees and not
to the establishment of a government in Tel Aviv, but this goal too will be achieved in the near
future if the Palestinians are persistent in their resistance. He stressed that resistance is the
only path for the Palestinian to achieve victory (Tasnim, December 31, 2018).

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          The meeting of the Supreme Leader with the Palestinian Islamic Jihad delegation
                                   (Tasnim, December 31, 2018)
  The Iranian minister of foreign affairs declared that Iran will stand by the Palestinian
people, adding that supporting Palestine is one of the core principles of Iranian foreign
policy. The secretary of the supreme national security council joined in highlighting Iran’s
continuous support for the Palestinians, insisting that this support will persist until the
complete victory of the “Resistance.” He added that the resistance groups will foil the
implementation of the “deal of the century” of President Trump, a deal that is a hard blow to
Palestine. He declared that the success of the “Resistance” in the struggle against the
terrorist groups that operated in Syria and Iraq with the backing of the United States, Israel
and Saudi Arabia, will hasten the realization of Palestinian aspirations (Fars, December 30).
  During his visit to Tehran, al-Naklha also met with the Commander of Iran's Law
Enforcement Forces, Hossein Ashtari, who declared that Iranian police is ready to assist in
training and guiding “Palestinian resistance groups.” He invited Nakhla to visit police
facilities to acquaint himself with the force’s capabilities and expressed willingness to share
with the Palestinians the experience and achievements of the police. Ashtari declared that
Iranian Police will carry out training courses to the Palestinian “Resistance Front” (ISNA,
January 1, 2019).
  In an interview to the Iranian Arabic-language channel al-Alam (December 30, 2018), al-
Nakhla stated that Hezbollah, Islamic Jihad, Hamas and all the forces of the “Resistance Axis”
are in constant contact and have a common vision, centered around opposition to the Zionist
enterprise. He reported that all the components of the “Resistance Axis” maintain
cooperation across borders, and without any “red lines”, adding that in any future campaign,

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these forces will operate in northern, southern and central Israel. In our assessment, these
statements reflect the content of deliberations held in recent weeks between senior Islamic
Jihad, Hamas, Hezbollah and Iranian officials, which focused on Iran’s military assistance to
the Palestinian factions.1

1
  For more, see the Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center report “Senior Palestinian Islamic
Jihad and Hamas figures praise Iran’s military support and threaten that in the next war the rocket fire
from the Gaza Strip will reach all the cities in Israel and the “resistance axis” will coordinate its actions
on all fronts.”, December 6, 2018. Accessible online: https://www.terrorism-info.org.il/en/senior-
palestinian-islamic-jihad-hamas-figures-praise-irans-military-support-threaten-next-war-rocket-fire
gaza-strip-will-reach-cities-israel-res/

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