Iran's "Axis of Resistance"
Hezbollah, a group operating from Lebanon and a powerful piece of the "axis of resistance," is the world's most heavily armed non-state actor. Their Secretary General reported that Hezbollah's entire budget comes from Iran. (Source: Mohammad Rasool Moradi)
By Ellena Rivero
The opening of 2024 has been rife with journalistic references to Iranian backed groups. According to the CFR, this spectrum of organizations—ranging from those with governmental power to non-state affiliated militias—compose an "axis of resistance" characterized by their anti-Western ideologies and ties to the coffers of Tehran.
A vital pillar of Iranian foreign policy operates through the financial support of these proxy groups, the Washington Post reported. Iran positions itself as a defender of marginalized communities, emphasizing its status as a Persian and Shia Muslim country among Arabic and Sunni Muslim majorities. This projection of power occurs through the sponsorship of actors abroad: a steady provision of weapons, money, training, and military advice from the heart of the Iranian government to these proxy groups.
Experts say that Iran has strengthened cooperation with its proxy group alliances in recent years, cited NPR. Though they are propped up by Tehran, the groups operate autonomously and outside of Iran's security apparatus. This arrangement allows Iran to project their ideology overseas while simultaneously safeguarding their government from direct liability. Iran calls this policy a forward defense strategy, according to a Congressional report. The downside of this strategy is that Iran cedes control over these groups’ agendas and operations.
On the Iranian side, the main point of contact between Tehran and these proxy groups is a powerful paramilitary organization called the Quds Force, part of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC-QF). The IRGC consists of 100-150,000 ground forces with five-15,000 IRGC-QF personnel handpicked by the IRGC for their "competency and allegiance to the regime," the CIA World Factbook cited.
The IRGC-QF was formed after the fall of the Iranian monarchy. They operate outside the law and answer only to the supreme leader, bypassing the elected president. At its inception, this "people's army" provided a counter to a possible coup d'état against the new regime. According to the CFR, it was the Iran-Iraq war in the 1980s that transformed the IRGC into a more conventional fighting force. Today, the IRGC is a key player in domestic politics, most notably the financial sector, with many senior politicians having passed through their ranks.
The United States views international intervention through proxy groups as dangerous. The Congressional Research service states that "the United States and others may still seek to hold Iran accountable, including for actions that Iran may not have specifically directed or approved in advance." In 1984, the United States designated Iran as a "State Sponsor of Terrorism," a condemnation given to only three other countries. Critics of this designation call it political rather than accurate; however, the status allows the United States to place sanctions on Iran as well as countries that trade with it, American University reported. The U.S. State Department deemed the collective body of the IRGC a foreign terrorist organization (FTO) in 2019. The US Treasury Department had previously designated the IRGC-QF as an FTO and its individual commanders as Specially Designated Global Terrorists in 2007.