Orientul Mijlociu

Iran-backed Iraqi militia leaders are becoming increasing vocal in their hostility towards Turkey as Turkish forces continue their counterterrorism operations against the PKK in Iraq. The latest tensions appear to be linked to the security situation in the Iraqi district of Sinjar, which is near the Syrian border and holds strategic importance regionally. This policy outlook seeks to examine relations between the Iran backed Iraqi Popular Mobilisation Forces (PMF) and the terror organisation known as the PKK and aims to understand the possible reasons behind the latest tensions in northern Iraq. It also seeks to analyse the possible Iranian role in fostering the apparent PMF-PKK alliance against Turkey.

What does the leader of the world’s most influential Islamic movement really want?

The leader of what is arguably the world’s most successful Islamic movement lives in a tiny Pennsylvania town called Saylorsburg, at the Golden Generation Worship and Retreat Center, otherwise known as “the Camp.” The Camp consists of a series of houses, a community center, a pond, and some tranquil, woodsy space for strolling. From this Poconos enclave—which resembles a resort more than the headquarters of a worldwide religious, social, and political movement—Fethullah Gülen, a 69-year-old Turkish bachelor with a white moustache, wide nose, and gentle, sad expression, leads perhaps five million followers who, in his spirit if not his name, operate schools, universities, corporations, nonprofits, and media organs around the globe.

Rival Syrian rebel groups in northwestern Syria resumed heavy clashes a day after a fragile truce ended five days of bloody fighting in the last remaining opposition enclave, residents and rebels said on Monday.

The main jihadist rebel group, Hayat Tahrir al Sham (HTS), listed as terrorists by the United States, Turkey and others, forced factions from the Turkey-backed opposition National Army to accept a peace deal on Saturday that expanded its grip.

Iranian scholar and strategist Alireza Panahian, co-founder of the Ammar think tank, said in an October 6, 2022 public address which was aired on Channel 3 (Iran) that according to Islamic tradition, the Iranians will annihilate Israel and become the “masters of the world.” He said that according to commentators on the Quran, Iranians will ravage the homes of Israelis, annihilate them, and finish them off. Panahian went on to say that according to Islamic tradition, this will happen before the rise of the Mahdi and before the appearance of the Hidden Imam, the rulers of the entire world will be Iranians. He added that all the “free nations” of the world, the Yemenis, Iraqis, Syrians, and Lebanese, are proud of these traditions, and that the Iranians will liberate the world. Panahian further said that the “wanning” Western civilization has no choice but to be annihilated in confrontation with Iran. For more information about Alireza Panahian, see MEMRI TV clip no 8158.

Since the death of Mahsa Amini on September 16, unrest in Iranian cities has continued. So far, more than 100 people have been killed in the riots, and many political activists, journalists, and college students have been arrested. On October 3, after over two weeks of silence, the Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, appeared at a police graduation ceremony and blamed the unrest on the United States, Israel, and the Iranians abroad who helped them. He claimed that if Amini had not died, the United States and Israel would have found other excuses to create unrest in Iran. Surprisingly, Khamenei did not blame London, which is the center of Persian Language broadcasts that instigated the recent unrest. Historically, the British have had friendly relations with mullahs, believing religious ideas maintain social control and promote their interest in Iran. Ahmad Vahidi, the Minister of Interior, said he has some evidence that the protesters were paid by foreign agencies and some have been trained to make Molotov cocktails for the rioters. Subsequently, Khamenei, in another speech on October 14, said no one should dare to think that the Islamic Republic can be uprooted.

Since the death of Mahsa Amini on September 16, unrest in Iranian cities has continued. So far, more than 100 people have been killed in the riots, and many political activists, journalists, and college students have been arrested. On October 3, after over two weeks of silence, the Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, appeared at a police graduation ceremony and blamed the unrest on the United States, Israel, and the Iranians abroad who helped them. He claimed that if Amini had not died, the United States and Israel would have found other excuses to create unrest in Iran. Surprisingly, Khamenei did not blame London, which is the center of Persian Language broadcasts that instigated the recent unrest. Historically, the British have had friendly relations with mullahs, believing religious ideas maintain social control and promote their interest in Iran. Ahmad Vahidi, the Minister of Interior, said he has some evidence that the protesters were paid by foreign agencies and some have been trained to make Molotov cocktails for the rioters. Subsequently, Khamenei, in another speech on October 14, said no one should dare to think that the Islamic Republic can be uprooted.

Iranians Have Had Enough of Theocracy

The current protests in Iran sound the death knell of the Islamic Republic. The killing in police custody of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old woman who was arrested for wearing the hijab incorrectly, has unleashed a wave of angry and bloody demonstrations, boycotts, work stoppages, and wildcat strikes that have exhausted the country’s security forces and spread to more than 100 cities. The government has endured major protests before, notably in 2009, 2017, and 2019, but these demonstrations are different. They embody the anger that Iranian women and young Iranians feel toward a regime that seeks to stifle their dearest desires. And they promise to upend Iran’s establishment.

Iraq’s new president commenced his duties, and the designated prime minister will form his Cabinet next week.

Latif Rashid, a veteran political leader in the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) who was elected Oct. 13 as Iraq’s new president, commenced his duties in Al-Salam Palace in Baghdad on Monday.

EU sanctions over Iran’s clampdown on dissent unsettled Iranian authorities, which are grappling with one of the biggest domestic challenges they have faced since the 1979 revolution.

The spokesperson for Iran’s Foreign Ministry, Nasser Kanani, condemned sanctions slapped by the Council of the European Union on a number of Iranian entities and officials in response to their involvement in repressive measures against protesters at home.