Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian is heading to New York to attend the 79th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA). Prior to his departure, the Iranian regime was seeking to rally its proxy groups and others against Israel.
Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi held a meeting with the Lebanese Amal Movement in Tehran on Monday evening. During the meeting, Iran’s state media said that “he called for the continuation of the principled policy of the Islamic Republic in supporting the resistance against the occupying Zionist regime.”
During the meeting, the Iranian foreign minister received a message from Nabih Berri, the Speaker of the Lebanese Parliament and the head of the Amal Movement.
“Araghchi, for his part, thanked Berri for sending warm greetings. He also hailed his actions in supporting the resistance and the sacrifices made by fighters of his Amal Movement alongside Hezbollah in the battle against the Zionist’s aggression against Lebanon and Palestine,” the IRNA Iranian state media reported.
It appears Iran is seeking to increase the number of groups involved in fighting Israel in Lebanon. Iran wants to tie the Amal Movement to Hezbollah and use both against Israel.
This is part of Iran’s plan in Lebanon as it monitors Israel’s statements about a possible operation in Lebanon against Hezbollah. Clearly, Iran wants to make sure it has enough supporters for Hezbollah so that any of the organization’s losses can be replaced.
Meanwhile, the head of Iraq’s National Wisdom Movement, Ammar al-Hakim “has emphasized the need for an immediate end to the war on Gaza, return of the refugees, and rebuilding the devastated Palestinian territory,” IRNA also reported.
Iran has many allies in Iraq and it is seeking to use them against Israel and the US. “The stability of the region and preventing escalation requires the end of the Zionist war against the defenseless nation,” the report noted that Hakim said while he held separate meetings with Russian and Syrian ambassadors in Baghdad on Monday.
“In his meeting with Elbrus Kutrashev, the Russian envoy, Hakim discussed the political situation in Iraq and the region as well as bilateral ties between Baghdad and Moscow.”
Irans broader strategy
This is important for Iran. It shows how groups in Iraq are rallying against Israel and working with Russia and Syria. It is part of the broader Iranian regime context as it also works with Russia and backs the Syrian regime.
“While pointing to the central and positive role of Iraq in calming the situation in the region, Hakim called on other Arab and Islamic countries to unite to end the massacre of Palestinians by the Zionist regime,” the report said.
Iran has been working with a multifront axis of groups to fight Israel over the last 11 months. It is now trying to mobilize them as the Iranian president heads for the UN meeting.
While Iran’s president is not as outspoken on this issue and is portrayed as more moderate at home, it is clear that Iran’s policy remains unchanged, and it seeks to continue to create destabilizing activities in the region.