Proxy relationship

Iraq appears to delay militia disarmament as Iran-backed factions pressure Baghdad - analysis

Now Iraq appears to be backtracking on the deadline for placing militia weapons under state control.

Iraqi Prime Minister-designate Ali al-Zaidi speaks during a parliamentary session to vote in a new government headed by Ali al-Zaidi as prime minister, at the parliament headquarters in Baghdad, Iraq, May 14, 2026.
Iranian Shi'ite pilgrims walk along a road to enter Iraq through the Shalamcheh border crossing between Iran and Iraq to make their way to the holy city of Karbala to attend the Arbaeen pilgrimage, following US strikes on the Iranian side of the border crossing, in Basra, Iraq, July 23, 2026.

Iran plans to weaken Kurdish forces in Iraq to prevent disarmament of militias - analysis

A member of Houthi security forces mans a machine gun mounted on the back of a patrol vehicle at the site of an anti-Saudi rally amid an escalation with the kingdom in Sanaa, Yemen, last month.

Are the Houthis Iran’s last gaming card? – opinion

Boats float near the coast of Bab el-Mandeb, Yemen, April 2, 2026.

Yemen's Houthis considering fees for ships sailing through Red Sea, sources say


Iran doubles down on Houthi support, as it supplies group with missiles

Iran’s acting Foreign Minister says he will tour the region as Iran seeks to mobilize Iraqi-based militias and Hezbollah in attacks targeting Israel.

 Armed Houthi followers ride on the back of a pick-up truck during a parade in solidarity with the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip and to show support to Houthi strikes on ships in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, in Sanaa, Yemen January 29, 2024.

Iran wants a ‘perfect storm’ to threaten Israel with proxies - analysis

Iran’s goal of escalation amid the Rafah offensive has therefore not come to the fruition that Iran wanted.

 A CROWD in Tehran watches an address, on the screen by Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, in November. Hezbollah is virtually a state within a state, sucking the lifeblood out of Lebanon at the instigation of Iran, says the writer.

Iran calls Iraq’s president to slam Israel

The Iranian call to Iraq’s president comes after Iraqi-based militias have increasingly said they are targeting Israel with kamikaze drones.

 Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi speaks during a meeting with the cabinet in Tehran, Iran, April 2, 2024.

Attacks on Kurds or use of proxies: Middle East awaits Iran’s response - analysis

People in the Middle East are concerned about Iran’s vow to attack Israel in the wake of an airstrike in Damascus.

 (L-R) Iranian Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu

Al-Qaeda resurfaces in Afghanistan with new training camps, Islamic schools

A UN Security Council report has found that since the Taliban resumed ruling Afghanistan in 2021, the country has returned to being a shelter for terrorist organizations.

 Taliban fighters celebrate on the second anniversary of the fall of Kabul on a street near the US embassy in Kabul, Afghanistan, August 15, 2023.

Israel's deadly dance with Hezbollah has become a chess game - analysis

Iran sought to map out a new world order in the region by pushing its pawns, like Hezbollah, forward, and Israel will be challenged to return to a situation like the one that prevailed last year.

 Israeli soldiers guard in Metula, on the border between Israel and Lebanon, northern Israel, on May 14, 2021, after Lebanese protesters crossed the Israeli border fence.

How an Iranian ally in Iraq was made to stand down

In announcing the end of their attacks, Kataib Hezbollah said Iran and other allies "often object to the pressure and escalation against the American occupation forces."

 Iraqi Shi'ite Muslim men from the Iranian-backed group Kataib Hezbollah wave the party's flags as they walk along a street painted in the colours of the Israeli flag during a parade marking the annual Quds Day, or Jerusalem Day, on the last Friday of Ramadan, in Baghdad. July 25, 2014

New crypto front emerges in Israel's fight to defund Iranian proxies

The Financial Action Task Force, a Paris-based G7 body that fights illicit finance, warned last month that terrorist organizations were seeking to further boost donor anonymity.

 Hacker

The influence of bribery: how can leaders avoid taking bribes?

People in power who are prone to feel guilty are less likely to be corrupt, research shows.

 Person accepting a bribe

Iran has declared war on the US in Iraq through its proxies - analysis

Iran has done this before, using pro-Iranian groups in Iraq to wage an insurgency against America after the US-led 2003 invasion of Iraq.

US Army soldiers keep watch on the US embassy compound in Baghdad, Iraq January 1, 2020