Iran Update, August 15, 2023
Iran and the Syrian regime shifted their state-run information operation from the false claim that US forces will imminently attack Syrian-regime controlled territory and are instead alleging that United States supported recent ISIS attacks. Axis of Resistance media, however, continue to falsely accuse the United States of preparing to attack Syrian-regime controlled territory.
IRGC Quds Force Commander Brigadier General Esmail Ghaani met with Shia Coordination Framework leadership in Baghdad on August 15. Ghaani’s stop in Baghdad was the latest in a series of meetings with members of Iran’s Axis of Resistance in Iraq, Lebanon, and Syria.
Iranian state media signaled the regime’s frustration with the Taliban on the two-year anniversary of the group’s takeover of Afghanistan. This is a change from the conciliatory tone Iranian officials have recently adopted toward the Taliban.
Iranian Interior Minister Ahmad Vahidi appointed Qom Provincial Governor Mohammad Taghi Shah Cheraghi as Interior Ministry Political Deputy and head of Iran’s Election Headquarters on August 15. Shah Cheraghi could play a role in formulating the regime’s responses to anticipated security threats in the coming months.
https://www.understandingwar.org/backgrounder/iran-update-august-15-2023
Qatar-based Al Araby reported that IRGC Quds Force Commander Brigadier General Esmail Ghaani ordered Iranian-backed militias in Iraq to suspend attacks against US targets. He specifically called for an end to an IED campaign that an Iranian-backed militia has waged against Iraqi-operated convoys supporting the US military presence in Iraq. .[1] The article cited an unidentified source in the Shia Coordination Framework—the umbrella organization for Iranian-backed political parties in Iraq. This report comes after Ghaani traveled to Baghdad on August 15 to resolve differences between Iranian-backed parties and discuss the recent US-Iraq Joint Security Dialogue.[2] CTP cannot verify this report, but it is consistent with CTP’s previous assessment that Ghaani may have ordered Iranian-backed militias to refrain from attacking US targets in Iraq during his last visit to Baghdad in June 2023.[3] It is also consistent with the reports that the US-Iran prisoner swap agreement is part of a broader understanding to reduce tensions between the United States and Iran and prevent Iranian-backed attacks against US positions.[4]
Ghaani specifically called for an end to an IED campaign that Ashab al Kahf—an Iranian-backed militia—has waged against Iraqi-operated convoys supporting the US military presence in Iraq. Ashab al Kahf has claimed responsibility for four IED attacks against such convoys since July 2023. Ashab al Kahf has consistently been the most publicly aggressive of the Iranian-backed militias toward the United States. The group has also called for two separate protests at the US embassy in Baghdad.[5] The Iranian-backed proxies that have gained political influence under Iraq Prime Minister Mohammad Shia al Sudani have rejected Ashab al Kahf’s calls to protest and have instead emphasized diplomatic and political pressure against the United States
Iranian oil exports to China have increased by over 60 percent in August 2023. This growing energy cooperation is part of a broader deepening of Sino-Iranian ties, especially regarding economic relations and infrastructure development.
Iranian state media blamed the Afghan branch of the Islamic State—named Islamic State Khorasan Province (ISKP)—for a recent terror attack in central Iran. This reporting from Iranian state media is the most explicit connection it has drawn yet between the attack and ISKP.
Armed Forces General Staff spokesperson Brigadier General Abol Fazl Shekarchi described the purpose of a recent Iranian military exercise in the Persian Gulf, affirming CTP’s previous assessment of its intent.
https://www.understandingwar.org/backgrounder/iran-update-august-16-2023