US charges IRGC captain with killing American in Iraq

Dec 20, 2024, 18:32 GMTUpdated: 15:16 GMT

Stephen Troell and his wife in Baghdad, Iraq, June 2018

The US Justice Department on Friday charged a captain in Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) with killing an American in the Iraqi capital Baghdad in 2022.

The murder and terrorism offenses against Mohammad Reza Nouri, 36, relate to the shooting death of Stephen Troell, 45, who worked at an English language institute in Iraq.

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Ali Khamenei's advisor: Turkey collaborated with US, Israel, backed terrorists in Syria

Dec 20, 2024, 18:05 GMT

A prominent foreign policy advisor to Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei accused Turkey of working with the US and Israel to advance their influence in the Middle East.

“Turkey, in cooperation with America and Israel, has supported terrorist groups in Syria…Turkey also played a key role in facilitating the presence of US forces in the region and supported terrorist groups in Idlib,” Ali Velayati wrote in a commentary for the semi-official Mehr News Agency on Friday.

In what appeared to be a warning to Turkey, Velayati wrote, “Regional friends have been warned that any assistance in fueling conflicts will quickly backfire on them, and instead of trusting outsiders, they should stand with Muslims.”

The rivalry between regional powerhouses Turkey and Iran has heated up after Ankara emerged as a leading power broker in Syria following the downfall of Tehran's ally President Bashar al-Assad.

Earlier this week, Ahmad Khatami, a senior hardline Iranian cleric, blamed Turkey for Assad’s demise and warned Erdogan that he will face consequences.

Iranian officialdom struggles to make sense of Syria exodus

Dec 20, 2024, 17:04 GMT

Iranian officials have been offering conflicting rationales for Iran's hasty exit from Syria as establishment voices begin to come to terms with one of the Islamic Republic's biggest ever strategic setbacks.

Defenders of official policy even went as far as slamming Iran's top great power ally Vladimir Putin for saying 4,000 Iranian troops needed a Russian airlift to depart.

"Liar," government-controlled media Nameh News branded the Russian President.

A senior military figure protested that those airlifted to Tehran were not Iranian or were not military personnel. Still others have defended Iran's support for and defense of Assad and at least one has denied Iran's military presence in Assad's Syria altogether.

Ali Akbar Ahmadian the Secretary of the Islamic Republic's Supreme Council of National Security insisted that Iranian troops were present only as military advisers.

The statement is contrary to copious Iranian state TV footage in the past that showed Iranian IRGC forces engaged in combat in Syria.

"Iran's military presence outside the country is based on Tehran's national interests, non-intervention in the internal affairs of the host countries," Ahmadian added. "Iran never starts an invasion."

Iranian and Russia forces participated in large-scale assaults and air strikes against population centers, including Syria’s second largest city, Aleppo during the civil war.

The conflict involved government forces opposed by religious and secular opposition fighters. Assad was ultimately toppled by a rebel coalition spearheaded by a radical Islamist group that was once an Al Qaeda affiliate.

Ahmadian made a rare concession about the true nature of Iran's erstwhile ally, however.

"Part of Assad's political system showed a detestable behavior against the people of that country and that brought about a divide between the Syrian government and people."

Ebrahim Rezaei the spokesperson for the Iranian parliament's National Security Committee told the press that "Assad's regime would have fallen much earlier if it were not for our resistance."

"Iran's presence in Syria was aimed at protecting the axis of resistance rather than Assad as an individual," he added."We fought terrorists such as ISIS and some of our men were killed in action in Syria."

Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) General Esmail Kowsari, a member of the Iranian parliament's National Security Committee said Tehran did not station so many troops in Syria to have needed a massive Russian airlift.

"Iran never had 4,000 troops in Syria. Those who were evacuated were Lebanese and Afghan military advisers as well as individuals from some other countries."

Iran organized Afghan, Pakistani and Iraqi militiamen to fight alongside Assads forces for a decade.

The Afghan fighters receive citizenship or residency in Iran and were buried there with honors when they were killed in Syria.

"The reason we did not evacuate them earlier was that we expected the Syrian army to show some resistance. But neither the army nor Bashar Assad did so," Kowsari added. "We even told Iranian teachers in Syria to return to Iran via Lebanon."

Iran's clerical establishment also sought to blame Assad's forces.

Hashem Hosseini Bushehri the Friday Prayers Imam of Qom and a member of the Assembly of Experts also said in one of his sermons: "Neither Bashar nor the Syrian army had any motivation to fight, and Iran was not able to do anything under the circumstances as Syria's ground and air borders were closed."

Iran had warned Assad, he said, that fighters were being trained in Idlib but Tehran's counsels fell on deaf ears.

Iran has no regrets over Syria costs, says national security chief

Dec 20, 2024, 15:25 GMT

Iran’s top security chief has defended the country’s involvement in Syria, calling it essential for national security.

“We have no regrets about the costs incurred in Syria because our presence and expenses were for our own security,” said Ali Akbar Ahmadian, secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, in an interview with the website of Ali Khamenei’s office.

“The Islamic Republic was never meant to fight in place of the Syrian army,” he added.

Iran is estimated to have spent between $30 billion and $50 billion over the past decade to support the now-ousted Bashar al-Assad government, including deploying troops, supplying weapons, and providing financial aid.

We set back Iran’s role in the Mideast by 40 years, says Syria's new leader

Dec 20, 2024, 15:21 GMT

Iran’s influence in the region has been significantly diminished by its ally President Bashar al-Assad's fall, Syria's de facto new leader Ahmed al-Sharaa said in an interview with Asharq Al-Awsat.

Sharaa, whose radical Sunni Islamist group Hayat al-Tahrir Sham (HTS) swiftly defeated Assad's forces this month said Syria's opposition had “set the Iranian project in the region back by 40 years,” signaling a major shift in Syria’s stance toward Iran.

“By removing Iranian militias and closing Syria to Iranian influence, we’ve served the region’s interests—achieving what diplomacy and external pressure could not, with minimal losses.”

Sharaa's remarks to the Saudi-owned outlet appeared aimed at placating Arab nations and rejected any notion of Syria becoming a threat to its neighbors.

“We are now focused on state-building. Syria will not be a platform to threaten or unsettle any Arab or Gulf country,” he said.“The Syrian revolution ended with the regime's fall, and we will not allow it to spread elsewhere.”

The Assad dynasty was a key Arab ally of Tehran, which had been backing its fight against HTS and other rebel groups for over a decade.

He stressed that Syria will no longer serve as a base for actions that destabilize neighboring Arab or Gulf countries, indirectly criticizing Tehran’s past involvement. He pointed to how Syria had previously been used as a platform for Iran to exert control over key Arab capitals, fuel conflicts, and destabilize the Gulf region through activities such as the trafficking of drugs like Captagon.

Iran's Islamic government has been rattled by events in Syria, where it helped keep Assad in power since anti-government protests erupted in 2011. Its exit from Syria followed defeats its other ally, Hezbollah, suffered in Lebanon.

Criticism of Iran’s Influence

Al-Sharaa criticized Assad's reliance on Iran, accusing it of undermining Arab unity. He revealed that during a meeting with Jordanian officials, the ousted Syrian government was asked why it continued exporting Captagon to Jordan.

“The response was that it would not stop unless sanctions were lifted,” Al-Sharaa said, describing such policies as damaging and counterproductive.

According to some former Iranian officials, Tehran spent around $50 billion in Syria in the past decade, where it maintained a large military presence.

Rebuilding Relations with Arab Neighbors

Al-Sharaa highlighted Syria's goal of rebuilding and strengthening relations with Arab nations based on mutual respect and non-interference.

He pointed to the Gulf's advancements, particularly Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030, as a development model Syria aims to emulate. Addressing concerns about Lebanon, he stressed Syria's commitment to balanced relations without interference in Lebanon's internal affairs, focusing instead on addressing its own domestic challenges.

Al-Sharaa emphasized the need for inclusivity in shaping Syria’s future, recognizing the diversity of opinions within the country and describing it as a natural and constructive element of society.

He highlighted his commitment to fostering national unity through adherence to the rule of law. Reflecting on the significance of holding the interview at the Presidential Palace, a site previously occupied by Assad, Al-Sharaa noted that it should be a space accessible to the people, symbolizing openness and a connection to the broader community.

The new administration’s approach, Al-Sharaa concluded, is centered on restoring Syria as a trusted member of the Arab world, free from external agendas.

EU and E3 talks with Iran expected in January, WSJ reporter says

Dec 20, 2024, 13:24 GMT

Another round of E3-EU/Iran talks is expected in January, likely in Geneva, though it remains unclear if they will occur before or after the inauguration of Donald Trump, Laurence Norman of the Wall Street Journal posted on X on Friday.

"I gather there is likely to be another round of E3-EU/Iran contacts in Jan probably again in Geneva. Not yet clear if before or after Jan 20 @realDonaldTrump inauguration. #Iran #nuclear," Norman wrote.

Axios reporter Barak Ravid replied, "Before".

Iran and the E3 group—comprising the UK, France, and Germany—met in November and agreed to continue talks in the near future in an effort to resolve the deadlock over Tehran’s nuclear program. This may represent the final opportunity for a breakthrough before Donald Trump assumes the US presidency once more.

Trump, who implemented a policy of so-called maximum pressure on Iran during his first term, is set to return to the White House on January 20.

Meanwhile, Iran has agreed to stricter monitoring by the UN nuclear agency at its Fordow site after significantly accelerating uranium enrichment to near weapons-grade levels, the watchdog stated in a report seen by Reuters.

"Iran agreed to the Agency's request to increase the frequency and intensity of the implementation of safeguards measures at FFEP (Fordow Fuel Enrichment Plant) and is facilitating the implementation of this strengthened safeguards approach," the International Atomic Energy Agency said in the confidential report to member states, Reuters reported earlier this month.