Iran appears to be trying to coordinate with Iraq and Russia to support the Syrian regime against the Syrian opposition forces. Iranian Armed Forces General Staff Chief Major General Mohammad Bagheri held separate phone calls with Iraqi Army Chief of Staff General Abdul Amir Rashid Yarallah, Russian Defense Minister Andrei Belousov, and SAA Chief of Staff General Abdel Karim Mahmoud Ibrahim on December 3.[33] Bagheri said that Iraq and Russia agreed to provide “decisive support” for the Syrian regime and “take the necessary measures” to back the SAA. Bagheri claimed that the surprise opposition offensive was a “coordinated” US-Israeli effort to “weaken” the Axis of Resistance.
Iranian state media outlet al Alam reported that Brigadier General Javad Ghaffari traveled to Damascus with a team of Iranian military advisers to support the Assad regime against the opposition forces. Ghaffari has a long history of supporting pro-regime forces in Syria and had for a time served as the overall Iranian commander in the country. Ghaffari is known as the ‘Butcher of Aleppo’ for his role in the pro-regime campaign to retake Aleppo City in 2016.[34] Syrian President Bashar al Assad expelled Ghaffari in 2021 for his alleged involvement in attacks on US forces as well as deploying Iranian weapons in “unapproved places.”[35] Ghaffari returned to Tehran to head the IRGC Intelligence Organization's Special Operations division, where he had served until his latest deployment back to Syria.[36]
Senior Iranian officials and state media criticized Turkish policy in Syria amid the ongoing Syrian opposition offensive. Turkey maintains ties with and has historically supported some opposition groups against the Bashar al Assad regime. This dynamic has created tensions between Iran and Turkey throughout the Syrian civil war. Iranian Supreme Leader International Affairs Adviser Ali Akbar Velayati accused Turkey of betraying its Islamic roots and siding with the United States and Israel.[37] Velayati claimed that “anti-Islamic” elements in the Turkish government are “committing acts that desecrate Islam.”[38] Media affiliated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) separately warned that Iranian trust in Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan could decrease if the Syrian opposition weakens the Axis of Resistance.[39] The IRGC-affiliated outlet proceeded to suggest that Iran might in turn refrain from supporting Erdogan during future crises.[40] Iranian media also circulated images of Iranians protesting in front of the Turkish Embassy in Tehran on December 1.[41] These statements and reports follow Iranian Foreign Affairs Minister Abbas Araghchi’s visit to Turkey on December 2, where he held “frank” discussions with his Turkish counterpart.[42]
Iran oversees an oil smuggling network in Iraq that generates around a billion dollars per year for Iran and its Axis of Resistance, according to unspecified sources speaking to Reuters on December 3.[105] Two unspecified sources stated that the network diverts between 3.4 and 5 million barrels of Iranian oil from Iraqi asphalt plants each month. Iran exports the diverted oil primarily to Asia. The network also blends Iranian oil with Iraqi fuel in order to evade US sanctions on Iranian energy exports. Unspecified entities and individuals from Iraq, Iran, and the Gulf states are involved in the operation, according to five unspecified sources and three Western intelligence reports. The sources stated that the operation has “flourished” since Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammad Shia al Sudani took office in 2022, highlighting how Iran has been able to increase its economic influence in Iraq in recent years. One source noted that US officials discussed the oil smuggling operation with Sudani during his visit to the United States in September 2024.
The United States sanctioned 35 entities and vessels on December 3 that help facilitate illicit Iranian oil exports.[106] The US Treasury Department noted that Iranian oil revenues enable Iran to fund its nuclear program, develop advanced drones and missiles, and provide financial and material support to the Axis of Resistance.
https://www.understandingwar.org/backgrounder/iran-update-december-3-2024
Iran Update, December 4, 2024
Iran is trying to prevent the E3 (the United Kingdom, France, and Germany) from triggering “snapback sanctions” by threatening Iranian withdrawal from the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty (NPT).[65] Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister for Political Affairs Majid Takht Ravanchi warned that Iran could leave the NPT if the E3 reimposes UN security council sanctions on Iran through the snapback mechanism. Iranian officials have long threatened to withdraw from the NPT, but these statements are noteworthy given the current standoff between Iran and the West over Iranian nuclear activities.[66] Ravanchi stated that Iran will likely hold another round of discussions with European countries following his meetings with the E3 in Geneva on November 29.[67]
Iranian leadership met with Chinese officials in Tehran on December 4. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said that Iran will continue implementing the 25-year Sino-Iranian cooperation agreement, which Iran and China signed in March 2021, during a meeting with Chinese Vice Premier Zhang Guoqing.[68] Iranian First Vice President Mohammad Reza Aref separately met with Guoqing to discuss the expansion of Sino-Iranian economic cooperation.[69]
https://www.understandingwar.org/backgrounder/iran-update-december-4-2024