Islamic State Threatens Iran From The Kurdish Communities Along The Iraq-Iran Border

Members of Iranian forces run during a gunmen attack at the parliament's building in central Tehran, Iran, June 7, 2017. Reuters

Babak Dehghanpisheh, Reuters: ISIS is going after Iran

* ISIS militants coming from the Iran-Iraq border region are conducting attacks on Iran.
* Last June, ISIS attacked Tehran and managed to get inside of the Iranian Parliament building.
* Many of the militants are ethnic Kurds, which shows that ISIS is taking advantage of Iran's minority Kurdish population that has been fighting for an independent state for decades.

HALABJA, Iraq (Reuters) - Islamic State may be on the wane in Iraq and Syria but for Iran, the threat is still strong, centered on Kurdish communities along the Iraq-Iran border where militants have operated in recent years.

The locals even have a nickname for the area, "Tora Bora", after the mountain hideout al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden fled to after the United States invaded Afghanistan in 2001, a senior Iraqi security official in the border region said.

In late January, three Revolutionary Guards were killed in the Bamo region fighting 21 Islamic State militants who had sneaked in from Iraq. Three militants detonated suicide vests and two others were killed in the clash, the Guards said.

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WNU Editor: Iran has faced multiple threats from its many minorities over the years .... the Islamic State is just newest one.

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani Declares The End Of The Islamic State

Reuters: Iran's president declares end of Islamic State

BEIRUT (Reuters) - Iranian President Hassan Rouhani declared the end of Islamic State on Tuesday while a senior military commander thanked the “thousands of martyrs” killed in operations organised by Iran to defeat the militant group in Syria and Iraq.

“Today with God’s guidance and the resistance of people in the region we can say that this evil has either been lifted from the head of the people or has been reduced,” Rouhani said in an address broadcast live on state TV.

“Of course the remnants will continue but the foundation and roots have been destroyed.”

Major General Qassem Soleimani, a senior commander of the elite Revolutionary Guards, also said Islamic State had been defeated, in a message sent on Tuesday to Iran’s supreme leader which was published on the Guards’ news site, Sepah News.

Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei congratulated Soleimani on the defeat of Islamic State and said it was a blow against Israel, America and its allies, an allusion to Saudi Arabia.

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WNU Editor: At the same time that Iranian President Hassan Rouhani declared the defeat of the Islamic State, Major General Qassem Soleimani was saying the same thing .... Iran’s General Soleimani Proclaims Daesh Fall (Tasnim News Agency). Hmmmm .... some interesting dynamics at play here. The Iraqis are also about to make the same announcement .... Iraq to declare final victory over Islamic State after desert campaign (Reuters).

More News On Iranian President Hassan Rouhani Declaring The End Of The Islamic State

Iran President Rouhani declares end of Islamic State -- CNBC
'ISIS is over': Iranian president declares terror group has been destroyed -- Daily Mail
'Isis is over': Iranian president Hassan Rouhani declares end of group after military breakthrough -- Yahoo News
Iran declares end of ISIS -- RUDAW
Iran’s Rouhani says ISIS “eliminated” -- Trend News Agency

Iran Now Using Drones To Destroy Islamic State Bases In Syria

Press TV (Iran): Iranian drones destroy Daesh bases in Syria’s Dayr al-Zawr

Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) drones have destroyed several Daesh bases on the Syrian border with Iraq.

According to an IRINN TV report on Sunday, during the IRGC operations carried out in Syria’s eastern Dayr al-Zawr province, many terrorists were killed in the attacks, which also destroyed large amounts of terrorists' equipment and weapons.

The report noted that the attacks were part of operations aimed at clearing the Syria-Iraq border of the Daesh terrorists group.

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Update #1: Iran strikes IS bases on Syria-Iraq border with drones (ABC News/AP)
Update #2: Iran says Guards attack Daesh with drones in Eastern Syria (Middle East Monitor)

WNU Editor: The Iranians have really upped their drone game.

Iran Tries To Take Credit For The Victory Over The Islamic State In Mosul

(Click on Image to Enlarge)

Soleimani meeting Guard Corps cadets

Long War Journal: IRGC tries to appropriate Mosul victory

The Islamic Republic of Iran and its Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) are running a propaganda campaign to appropriate victory in Mosul and the broader war against the Islamic State as their own, and omit US military support, which has been critical in the campaign.

The Guard Corps and the US at times coordinated directly or indirectly during the war, but Iran continues to reject the US’ presence in the Middle East.

Addressing the Revolutionary Guard’s Imam Hossein Guardianship Training and Officer University, Qods Force chief Qassem Soleimani this week again peddled the conspiracy theory that the US and Israel created the Islamic State and fanned the Iraqi and Syrian wars to “bring Iran to its knees” and “destroy the Islamic revolution.”

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WNU Editor: This "taking credit" appears to be working .... Iran And Iraq Sign Deal To Boost Military Ties (July 23, 2017).

This Is How Iran Fights The Islamic State

Washington Post: How Iran fights the Islamic State

This month, the Islamic State successfully carried out its first attack on Iranian soil, resulting in 17 dead and some 50 injured. Iran is a top target for the Islamic State — and has been since the group rose to prominence in 2014. But Iranian security forces had effectively thwarted the threat through an extensive counterterror program. Iran took pride in keeping the fight against the Islamist militants outside its territory. Until now.

Threats grow from sectarian roots

The Islamic State views Shiite Muslims as apostates. It portrays Iran as a Shiite power threatening the “real” Muslim community — the Sunnis. Because of this — and the threat the group poses to Iran’s interests in the region — Tehran views the Islamic State as a national security threat. As a result, it placed “no limits” on resources to combat it both inside and outside its borders

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WNU Editor: I am surprised that Iran is not experiencing terror attacks that one would expect such a  country would receive. And while I am sure that the security forces within Iran are very efficient .... my gut is telling me that there is more at play here than what they are telling us.

Iranian General Qasem Soleimani And His Commanders Are Directing The Battle For Fallujah

Qassem Soliemani (left, green hat) and Abu Mahdi al Muhandis (right, black hat), touring the battlefield near Fallujah. Long War Journal

Paul D. Shinkman, US News & World Report: The Iranian Fingerprints on Iraq’s Fallujah Plan

Disunity from abroad, tensions at home allowed Tehran to pressure Baghdad into a dramatic departure from the American war strategy.

Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi’s decision to engage the Islamic State group in Fallujah is about more than defeating the terrorist network. It’s about more than establishing safety in Baghdad, and it’s even about more than securing his own political future.

His abrupt departure from America’s script for the war against the Islamic State group, which prioritizes above all else the liberation of Iraq’s second-largest city, Mosul, shows the strength of the other major international influence in Iraq, and its sway on Baghdad.

Iran has reportedly been pressuring Abadi for weeks, if not months, to prioritize Fallujah. But now domestic tensions in Baghdad and disunity among the world powers that have involved themselves in the conflict have cleared the way for the Islamic republic to have more potency than the U.S., Russia, Turkey or any other world power involved in the conflict.

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WNU Editor: Many Iraqis are not happy with this Iranian involvement .... Iraqi Lawmakers Condemn Quds Force Leader Qassem Soleimani's Presence in Iraq (Asharq Alawsat). But the Iraqis have no one else to blame but themselves .... Iraq PM Abadi urges lawmakers to stop squabbling, rally behind army (Reuters). But what is surprising to me is the silence from the U.S. on this Iranian involvement .... not even a whimper.

More News On Iran Directing The Battle For Fallujah

We just got the clearest sign yet that Iran's military mastermind is calling shots in Iraq — and that the US is letting him -- Business Insider
Soleimani: Iran to help Iraq as needed -- Tehran Times
Iranian-backed Iraqi militias signal readiness to enter Fallujah -- Long War Journal
Iranian military officers managing the Fallujah operation -- RUDAW
With Washington looking the other way, Iran fills a void in Iraq -- Reuters
Fallujah: Iranian revenge amid American silence -- Middle East Monitor

Top U.S. General: Iran Has 1,000 Troops In Iraq. Less Than 2,000 in Syria

Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman USMC General Joseph Dunford, Jr. looks at his notes before testifying at a Senate Armed Forces Committee hearing on 'United States Strategy in the Middle East' in Washington October 27, 2015. REUTERS/GARY CAMERON

Reuters: Iran has over 1,000 troops in Iraq, less than 2,000 in Syria: U.S. general

Washington believes there are fewer than 2,000 Iranian troops in Syria helping the forces of President Bashar al-Assad and more than 1,000 in Iraq supporting the Baghdad government, the top U.S. military officer said on Tuesday.

Marine Corps General Joseph Dunford, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said the number of Iranian forces in Iraq had fluctuated over time.

"I think there's more than 1,000 that are on the ground in Iraq," Dunford said. "In Syria, we think the numbers are probably something less than 2,000."

WNU Editor:  It looks like Iran is increasing their deployment of soldiers .... Official: Iran has sent more military advisers to Syria (AP)

Are Iranian Forces Being 'Stretched' Because Of Their Involvement In Multiple Conflicts

Scott Peterson, CSM: Iran's elite military is entangled in regional wars. Mission creep?

The Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps projects Iranian military power across the Middle East, to the alarm of critics of the nuclear deal. But it has become entangled in protracted conflicts that are testing its limits.

ISTANBUL, TURKEY — President Obama appears to have the votes to ensure congressional approval of the landmark nuclear deal with Iran, a key plank of which is an easing of economic sanctions. And one of the beneficiaries will be Iran’s primary tool for projecting power – the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), and especially its elite Qods Force, which handles operations abroad.

But are Iran’s wizened generals, who mostly cut their military teeth in the 1980s as teenage volunteers during the brutal Iran-Iraq War, already in danger of overreach?

For decades, American military planners aimed to be capable of simultaneously fighting – and winning – two full-blown wars in different regions. It was a challenge, even for a superpower. Today, on a much smaller scale and with a sliver of the military means, Iran is attempting the same thing in the Middle East: It is deeply engaged in Syria and Iraq; waving the flag in Yemen; and very influential in Lebanon.

WNU Editor: I do not think the Iranian leadership cares if their forces or the economy are being stretched .... their focus is on winning in Syria, Iraq, and Yemen while supporting Hamas and Hezbollah  ... and they will do what it takes to succeed.

Iranian-Backed Militias Grow In Influence In Iraq

Eli Lake, Bloomberg: Inside Iraq's Iranian-Backed Militias

WNU Editor: These Iranian-backed militias will only guarantee more Sunni recruits for the Islamic State.

More News On The Growing Role Of Iran In Iraq

Iran's Militias Are Taking Over Iraq's Army -- Eli Lake, Bloomberg
Armed with U.S. weapons, infamous militia beating ISIS -- CBS
Unchecked militia with murky past fights Islamic State with US weapons: Report -- Yahoo News
Concerns Deepen that U.S. Allowing Iranian Takeover of Iraq -- The Tower
The price of relying on Tehran-backed militias -- Iranian.com
Obama's Pentagon pick worried about Iranian influence in Iraq -- The Hill

An Iranian Fighter Explains Tehran’s War In Syria

In His Own Words, An Iranian Fighter Explains Tehran’s War In Syria -- Jassem Al Salami, War Is Boring

Wounded combatant’s interview is shockingly candid.

An Iranian fighter named Sayyed Hassan Entezari, who was injured and paralyzed fighting in Syria on behalf of Bashar Al Assad’s government, recently sat for an interview with Mashregh News, a Website run by Tehran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps.

The interview, part of Tehran’s propaganda campaign in support of the Syrian regime, offers rare insight into the proxy fighters’ beliefs and motives.

War Is Boring has translated portions of the interview from Farsi, preserving Entezari’s words. We have added some clarifying details in brackets.

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My Comment: Bottom line .... it is all about religion .... and this Iranian fighter makes that very clear.

Senior Iranian Official Confirms That They Carried Out Air Strikes Against Islamic State Targets In Iraq

A picture taken on April 18, 2010 shows US-made F-4 Phantom fighter jets flying during the Army Day parade in the Iranian capital Tehran. Iranian fighter jets struck Islamic State militants in eastern Iraq in recent days, the Pentagon said on December 2, 2014, signaling Tehran's determination to confront the jihadists and Washington's tacit partnership with arch-foe Iran. Iran acquired its F-4 fighters from the United States before the 1979 revolution that toppled the country's pro-US monarchy. Reuters

Iran Confirms It Carried Out Air Strikes Against Islamic State Extremists In Iraq -- The Guardian

Senior Iranian official says attacks were carried out in conjunction with Baghdad government and not US.

A senior Iranian official confirmed on Friday his country had conducted air strikes against Islamic State (Isis) extremists in Iraq, saying the action was carried out at the request of the Baghdad government but was not coordinated with the US.

The deputy foreign minister, Ebrahim Rahimpour said the purpose of the strikes was “the defence of the interests of our friends in Iraq” who he defined as the Baghdad government and the Kurdish autonomous region in the north of the country, who are both fighting the Isis movement.

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My Comment: I guess they realized that their previous denials were not convincing anyone.

Pentagon: Iran launches Airstrikes Against Islamic State Targets (Updated)

Analysts said Al Jazeera footage showed an Iranian F4 Phantom jet over Iraq (Photo courtesy of Al Jazeera)

Iranian Airstrikes Target ISIS In Iraq -- New York Times

EHRAN — Iranian fighter jets conducted bombing raids against Sunni extremists in Iraq last week, hitting targets near a 25-mile buffer zone that Iran has declared along its border, an Iranian politician, American officials and independent analysts have confirmed.

The bombing raids, along with Iran’s support for Shiite and Kurdish militia forces on the ground, illustrate the increasingly open role Iran is playing in Iraq, officials say. But they do not mean Iran is interested in cooperating directly with the United States, they say, even though they are fighting the same enemy and have some of the same allies.

The attacks on positions held by the militant Islamic State forces took place around the end of November in Diyala Province, where the battle front is closest to Iranian territory, according to the Iranian politician, Hamid Reza Taraghi.

He also confirmed the existence of the buffer zone, whose existence he said was accepted by the Iraqi authorities some months ago.

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More News On The Pentagon Report That Iran Has Launched Airstrikes Against Islamic State Targets

Iran jets bomb Islamic State targets in Iraq - Pentagon -- BBC
U.S. believes Iran launched air raids on Islamic State in Iraq -- Reuters
Iran launches airstrikes into eastern Iraq against Islamic State militants -- FOX News/AP
Iranian jets join allies in the fight against Islamic State in Iraq -- The Telegraph
Recent Iran airstrikes in Iraq help drive Islamic State from 2 towns -- L.A. Times
Iran carries out airstrikes on Islamic State targets in Iraq -- Deutsche Welle
Pentagon Officials Believe Iran Attacked Islamic State Forces in Iraq -- WSJ
'Islamic State' presents indirect threat to Iran -- Deutsche Welle
Has Iran Launched Airstrikes Against the Islamic State in Iraq? -- John Beck, Vice

Update: Iranian Airstrikes on Islamic State in Iraq a Plus, Kerry Says -- Bloomberg

U.S. Confirms Reports That Iran Is Now Bombing Islamic State Targets In Iraq

Iranian Jet Struck Islamic State Targets In Iraq, U.S. Official Says -- Washington Post

Iranian aircraft conducted strikes against Islamic State positions in Iraq last weekend, expanding Tehran’s presence as a close ally of Iraq’s Shiite-led government.

“We do think they did do some airstrikes at targets in Iraq,” a senior U.S. defense official said, adding that “we have no reason to doubt those reports.”

“We’ve long said they have a presence in Iraq, contributing to helping the Iraqis against ISIL,” the official said. The official, speaking on condition of anonymity given the sensitivity of the matter, added that Iran has also been conducting overflights with unarmed surveillance aircraft. ISIL is one of several acronyms used to refer to the Islamic State.

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More News On The U.S. Confirming Reports That Iran Is Now Bombing Islamic State Targets In Iraq

Report: Pentagon aware of Iranian jets bombing Islamic State within Iraq -- Stars and Stripes
Iran launches airstrikes against Islamic State inside Iraq -- UPI
US official confirms Iran is bombing Islamic State -- Times of Israel
US defense official confirms Iran battling IS in Iraq -- Business Standard
Iran Bombing Islamic State In Iraq, U.S. Official Confirms -- Huffington Post
Iran bombing Islamic State in Iraq, US official confirms -- Al Bawaba
US claims Iran is bombing ISIS in Iraq -- RT
Iranian Jets Over Iraq? -- Tim Starks, Roll Call

Update: Iran dismisses bombing IS in Iraq -- Trend

Islamic State Plotting To Wage War Against Iran And To Seize It's Nuclear Secrets

Anti-aircraft guns guarding the Natanz Nuclear Facility in Iran. (Photo: Hamed Saber/ Wiki Commons)

Islamic State Eyes Nuclear Secrets As It Gears For War With Iran -- The Australian/Sunday Times

ISLAMIC State is urging its members to plan for war with Iran and has ambitions to seize Tehran’s nuclear secrets, according to a manifesto attributed to one of its most senior members.

The document is believed to have been written by Abdullah Ahmed al-Meshedani, a member of Islamic State’s highly secretive six-man war cabinet.

It was picked up by an Iraqi special forces unit during a raid in March on the home of one of the commanders of Islamic State.

Thought to be a policy manifesto prepared for senior members of Islamic State, it is being examined by Western security officials, who believe it to be authentic.

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More News On Reports That The Islamic State Is Plotting To Wage War Against Iran And To Seize It's Nuclear Secrets

Isis plans to seize Iran’s nuclear secrets, attack caviar industry, ruin carpets -- The Independent
Isis Militants 'Plotting To Seize Iran's Nuclear Secrets With Russia's Help' -- IBTimes
Report: ISIS Plans to Seize Iran’s Nuclear Program -- Arutz Sheva
ISIS Eyeing Iranian Nuclear Secrets -- Breaking Israel News
Report: ISIS plots to seize Iran’s nuclear secrets -- Al Arabiya
ISIS document discloses plans to seize Iran's nuclear secrets -- Times of India
Islamic State – ISIS Now Looking at an Alliance with Russia -- Front Page
Sunday (High) Times Exposes ISIS Plot To Bribe Russia To Give It Iran’s Nukes -- Jewish Press
Report: ISIS is After Iran's Nuclear Program -- Israel Defense