Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei: Iran does not have any proxy groups in the Middle East

“Iran will have no role whatsoever, and it shouldn’t, frankly. Iran’s had decades now of the most predatory and destructive behavior and presence in Syria, and during the war itself, of course, mustered foreign militias, its own IRGC forces, Hezbollah fighters, and really preyed upon and really viciously brutalized the Syrian people. So, it’s hard for me to imagine Iran having any role whatsoever. Why should it?”

Leaf contrasted Iran’s influence with Turkey's role as a neighboring country, stressing the US goal of fostering a stable and sovereign Syria free from external manipulation and criminal activities.

“Türkiye obviously has a very sizable role. It has sizable influence. It has, historically, and it’s a neighboring state, and it has national security interests and all sorts of other interests,” she added.

The remarks align with comments by Ahmed al-Sharaa, leader of Syria’s opposition group Hayat al-Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), who said in an interview with Asharq Al-Awsat on Friday that his faction had ended Iran’s foothold in the region.

Sharaa, whose Islamist group recently helped topple forces loyal to Bashar al-Assad, said: “Syria’s opposition has set the Iranian project in the region back by 40 years.” He added, “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.”

Meanwhile, Iran’s Supreme National Security Council Secretary Ali Akbar Ahmadian defended Tehran’s extensive expenditures in Syria. Speaking to a state-linked publication on Friday, Ahmadian justified the financial and military support for Assad’s government, estimated to have reached $30–50 billion over the past decade.

“We have no regrets about the costs incurred in Syria because our presence and expenses were for our own security,” Ahmadian said. He emphasized that Iran’s involvement was not meant to replace the Syrian army but to bolster an ally vital to Iranian interests.

Iran maintained a significant military presence in Syria, primarily supporting the government of President Bashar al-Assad. Tehran provided financial aid, weapons, and military advisers, alongside the deployment of its own forces and allied militias, including the Lebanese Hezbollah and various Iraqi and Afghan groups. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) played a central role in Iran's military operations in Syria, overseeing both direct combat and logistical support. Iran's military expenditure in Syria include funding for military operations, and the training of local forces aligned with Assad.

With Leaf’s candid critique of Iran and Sharaa’s proclamation of a major victory against Tehran’s influence, the country seems to be charting a new course.

"The incidents show how the war between Israel and Iran’s proxies across the Middle East is also driving Tehran to escalate its covert operations in Europe — and that is rattling governments already concerned that the conflict is stirring tension between communities divided over immigration," the report said.

Incidents include a 15-year-old in Stockholm taking a taxi with a loaded gun heading toward the Israeli embassy and a 13-year-old in Gothenburg shooting at the offices of the Israeli defense firm Elbit Systems.

This fall, Swedish and Norwegian security agencies warned of Iranian-backed operations. In response, Norway temporarily raised its terror alert to high in October, armed its police, and introduced border controls with Sweden.

In early October, Iran International exclusively reported that Tehran enlisted criminals to carry out armed attacks on Israeli embassies in Stockholm and Copenhagen, coinciding with its extensive missile barrage against Israel, according to a Swedish police source and another informed source.

Shots were fired at the Israeli embassy in Stockholm that same week, followed by two explosions near Israel’s embassy in central Copenhagen in the early hours of Wednesday. No injuries were reported.

Two Swedish teenagers, aged 16 and 19, were later arrested in connection with the incidents. Authorities did not immediately release details about their identities. A Swedish police source told Iran International that evidence found during the preliminary investigation pointed to the Islamic Republic’s involvement.

Earlier, in May, Swedish authorities arrested two teenage boys, aged 14 and 15, after a shooting near the Israeli embassy. At the time, Sweden’s intelligence agency accused Tehran of recruiting gang members to attack Israeli interests in the country.

A Swedish insider speaking to Iran International stated that investigations revealed the group behind the May attack was also “directed by agents linked to the Islamic Republic.”

According to separate statements last year by Säpo (Sweden’s intelligence agency) and Mossad, the Swedish criminal group Foxtrot was among those recruited by Tehran. The group, led by Rawa Majid, a Swedish citizen of Kurdish origin allegedly detained in Iran, is conducting sabotage operations on behalf of Tehran.

The Islamic Republic has never acknowledged recruiting criminals for operations outside its borders, yet its leaders have repeatedly expressed support for attacks on Israeli interests globally.

Esmaeil Baghaei said that Davood Bitaraf was killed by "terrorists" and added that the Syrian transitional government is responsible for "identifying, prosecuting, and punishing the perpetrators of this crime."

"The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is seriously pursuing the matter through appropriate channels and various diplomatic and international avenues," Baghaei added.

In an interview published Friday, Syria's de facto new leader, Ahmed al-Sharaa, said Iran’s influence in the region has been significantly diminished following the fall of its ally, President Bashar al-Assad. The interview with Asharq Al-Awsat comes after Sharaa's radical Sunni Islamist group, Hayat al-Tahrir Sham (HTS), swiftly defeated Assad's forces this month.

Sharaa said that 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,” he said.

Iran's Islamic government has been shaken by recent developments in Syria, where it had supported Assad's regime since anti-government protests began in 2011. Its withdrawal from Syria follows setbacks faced by its other ally, Hezbollah, in Lebanon.

"The lack of official notification to the Iranian embassy and the denial of access to Abedini, an Iranian citizen, is a clear example of abduction," Tasnim wrote.

The US Justice Department on Monday charged Abedini and another Iranian, Mahdi Mohammad Sadeghi, with conspiring to export sensitive US technology to Iran’s Revolutionary Guards, including navigation systems for military drones linked to the deaths of three US service members.

Dual US-Iranian national Mahdi Mohammad Sadeghi, 42, a resident of Natick, Massachusetts, and Abedini, 38, of Tehran, were charged with violating US export control and sanctions laws.

Abedini is also accused of providing material support to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), a designated foreign terrorist organization, leading to the deaths of three US soldiers in a January drone attack on a military base in Jordan.

At the time, the US Department of Defense attributed the attack to Kata'ib Hezbollah, an Iranian-backed Iraqi militia. It was the deadliest assault on US troops since the Oct. 7 Hamas attack on Israel ignited a broader conflict involving Israel and groups aligned with Tehran.

Sadeghi was arrested in Massachusetts, while Abedini was detained in Italy at the request of US authorities. Both face up to 20 years in prison, with Abedini also facing charges that could carry a life sentence.

Tasnim also quoted a university classmate of Abedini as saying, "Mohammad is the CEO of San'at Danesh Rahpouyan Aflak (SDRA) in Iran. This company operates in the field of precision measurement equipment, with its products having various applications, including medical and sports uses. Abedini was also the director of a Swiss company named Illumove SA, which specialized in motion capture equipment. All activities of these companies were conducted under the legal and tax oversight of the Swiss government."

"These devices, due to their advanced technology, have multifunctional capabilities. The company's products, after being legally marketed in Iran, can be purchased and used by any individual or entity. However, the US government, based on unfounded claims that these devices were used in drones involved in the mentioned attack, has initiated legal proceedings and arrested these individuals," the friend added.

According to court filings, Abedini founded San’at Danesh Rahpooyan Aflak Co. (SDRA), an Iranian company that manufactures the Sepehr Navigation System, which is used in IRGC military drones, as well as in cruise and ballistic missiles. Sadeghi, a former founder of a Massachusetts technology company, is accused of conspiring to obtain US-origin components through illicit channels for SDRA, in violation of export laws.

Investigators found that SDRA’s navigation systems were key components in the Shahed drones used in the January 28 attack on the Tower 22 base in Jordan, which killed three service members and injured over 40 others.

The US government is currently pursuing Abedini’s extradition from Italy.

"Despite the overall global trend towards abolition, total known executions worldwide increased for the third consecutive year, led by Iran, Saudi Arabia, and Iraq," according to recent data from the DPI.

Nonviolent resistance efforts have started in response to Iran's ongoing use of the death penalty, as reported by the non-profit organization (NPO). One example is the weekly “No Death Penalty Tuesday” hunger strike by Iranian prisoners. This movement, first called “Black Tuesdays,” began on January 30, 2024. It was launched by 10 political prisoners in Karaj’s Ghezel Hesar Prison after several political prisoners were executed in January and weekly group executions occurred at the prison.

On Thursday, the United States sanctioned Iran’s Ghezel Hesar Prison, where hundreds of dissidents have faced torture and execution over the years.

“This prison saw severe human rights abuses, including cruel, inhuman, and degrading treatment of individuals in Iran who tried to exercise their right to free expression,” said US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Thursday.

Earlier this year, the United States also sanctioned officials from Iran’s Prisons Organization for their role in suppressing protests after Mahsa Amini’s death in custody in September 2022.