Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi hosted Palestinian Islamic Jihad terror leader Ziyad al-Nakhalah earlier this week.
The PIJ is one of the Palestinian terror groups in Gaza that played a major role in the October 7 attack and has played a significant role in increasing attacks in Jenin and the northern West Bank.
Historically, the group has been an Iranian proxy, making the meeting in Iran significant. The PIJ has also had offices in Damascus in the past. In 2023, when Iran’s then-president Ebrahim Raisi visited Damascus, he met with PIJ officials, among other Palestinian groups.
Araghchi said, “The Israeli regime has not achieved any of its malicious goals,” Iranian state media noted.
“In a meeting with visiting secretary-general of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad movement, Ziyad al-Nakhalah, Araghchi emphasized the legitimate resistance of the Palestinian nation in their quest for self-determination and [the] liberation of their land from [an] eight-decade-long occupation. He congratulated the historic victory of the Palestinian people and resistance against the Israeli regime’s unprecedented 16-month genocide in Gaza,” Iranian media reported.
What does the meeting mean for the PIJ, Tehran?
This public meeting illustrates how Tehran is seeking to highlight its close ties to the PIJ and how it may use them in the future. This is important because PIJ members have been seen at recent hostage handovers in Gaza.
The PIJ held some of the hostages in Gaza, and, in many cases, it appears that hostages held by the group were treated even more brutally than those held by Hamas. The PIJ suffered some losses in the Israel-Hamas War, but it is unclear if it suffered much damage over the 15-month war. It is now being positioned by Iran for increased activities.
“Praising the unity and integration among Palestinians, Araghchi reiterated Iran’s principled stance in supporting the Palestinian cause and the legitimate and legal resistance of the Palestinian people against Israeli occupiers,” Iran’s state media noted. “He also described the Israeli-American joint plot to displace the Palestinian people from their homeland as a conspiracy aimed at eradicating Palestine.
“Meanwhile, Ziyad al-Nakhalah expressed his gratitude for the support of the Resistance Axis in Lebanon, Iraq, and Yemen for the Palestinians,” the report said.
This makes clear how Iran has sought to unify all the fronts against Israel and how the PIJ was a key factor in this unification of these arenas. Raisi’s meeting in May 2023 with the PIJ in Damascus was one of the key parts of this attempt to coordinate strategy against Israel. October 7 was the result.
Iran also met with senior Iraqi militia leader
The Iranian foreign minister also met with the Iraqi chairman of the Popular Mobilization Commission, Falih Al-Fayyadh. “Araghchi stressed the strategic relations between Iran and Iraq,” according to state media.
The PMC runs the Popular Mobilization Units in Iraq, which include numerous pro-Iranian militias. These militias have also formed the Islamic “resistance” in Iraq, which targeted Israel over the last two years with drone attacks.
Therefore, it appears Iran is seeking to host a number of groups that are all part of what remains of its “axis” against Israel. Iranian state media noted that Iran’s top diplomat “appreciated the Popular Mobilization Forces’ efforts to secure Iraq’s stability, especially during the fight against ISIS and its positive impact on sustainable security in the region.
“The two sides reviewed the latest regional developments and the ways to support the two countries’ common interests.”