Iran set up covert Iraq cells to strike Gulf states hosting U.S. forces, Reuters finds

Iran's Revolutionary Guards created secret cells inside Iraq to launch attacks on Gulf states that host American troops, bypassing established militia networks in an apparent effort to avoid detection, according to a Reuters investigation.

Eight Iraqi sources, including military and security officials as well as militia commanders, told Reuters that the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) established three or four small units made up of elite Iraqi Shi'ite fighters.

The cells allegedly carried out at least seven drone attacks between 20 April and 17 May against targets in Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

The attacks were launched from remote desert areas near the southern Iraqi cities of Basra and Samawa, according to three of the sources.

The cells are said to operate outside the command structure of the Islamic Resistance in Iraq, an umbrella group that includes several powerful Iran-backed factions. Instead, they report directly to the IRGC, the sources said.

A shift in Iran's regional strategy

According to Reuters, the move signals a shift in Iranian strategy at a time when Tehran's network of regional allies has been weakened by months of conflict across the Middle East.

Several of Iran's traditional proxy groups have suffered setbacks. Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon have come under sustained military pressure, while Yemen's Houthis have faced repeated U.S. and British strikes. The fall of former Syrian president Bashar al-Assad last year also disrupted key supply routes used by Iran-backed groups.

At the same time, some Iraqi militias have begun distancing themselves from regional conflicts. Several influential factions have indicated they are willing to disarm and focus on domestic politics amid growing pressure from Washington.

Two groups, Asaib Ahl al-Haq and the Imam Ali Brigades, announced this month that they would start handing over weapons to Iraqi authorities following repeated U.S. demands for Baghdad to dismantle armed organisations operating outside state control.

Jasim al-Bahadli, a retired Iraqi army general and expert on Shi'ite armed groups, said the new cells appear designed for a different mission.

"The newer groups established by the IRGC appear smaller, more ideologically hardened and more tightly controlled, reflecting Iran's need to conserve resources amid economic strain," he told Reuters.

Gulf targets and growing concern

According to Iraqi security sources cited by Reuters, the covert units carried out at least three drone attacks against Kuwait, two against Saudi Arabia and two against the UAE.

Among the reported targets was Kuwait's Ali Al Salem Air Base, which hosts US forces, as well as a military facility at Kuwait International Airport. Reuters said it could not independently verify the claims.

The attacks come despite a new interim agreement signed this week by the United States and Iran aimed at ending the recent conflict and opening the door to further negotiations. Iranian officials have made clear that Tehran's support for regional armed groups remains outside the scope of those talks.

A U.S. State Department spokesperson reiterated Washington's expectation that Iraq dismantle what it described as "the tools of Iran's destabilizing activities in Iraq", including the IRGC and allied militias.

Early test for Iraq's new prime minister

The allegations pose an early challenge for Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi, who took office last month. His government has pledged to ensure Iraqi territory is not used to threaten neighbouring countries.

The issue also threatens Baghdad's efforts to improve relations with Gulf Arab states. Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and the UAE reportedly summoned Iraqi diplomats in April to protest the drone attacks.

Iraqi authorities are investigating whether one of the incidents included a May 17 drone strike that caused a fire at the Barakah nuclear power plant in the UAE, according to security officials cited by Reuters.

Zaidi condemned attacks on neighbouring countries as criminal acts and promised joint investigations. However, Iraqi officials acknowledge they still have only limited information about the new groups and are working to uncover how they operate and who commands them.

According to Reuters, the emergence of these covert cells highlights Iran's effort to maintain influence across the region while relying on smaller, harder-to-trace networks as its traditional proxy structure comes under increasing strain.

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