How Iran Fights — and Aligns With — Terrorists | The New York Times
Summary
TLDRThe video script discusses Iran's complex counterterrorism strategies, which include backing Shiite militant groups like Hezbollah to extend influence and counter U.S. presence. It highlights Iran's pragmatic relationship with al-Qaeda, cooperating when it suits their mutual anti-American goals. The script also touches on Iran's intelligence efforts, outreach to Sunni communities, and the role of the Quds Force in both combating terrorism and supporting allied militant groups. Despite these measures, Iran remains a target for terrorist attacks.
Takeaways
- 🇺🇸 The United States has long accused Iran of exporting terror.
- 🇮🇷 Iran has been a target of attacks for decades and uses elaborate counterterrorism methods.
- ⚔️ Iran supports Shiite militant groups like Hezbollah to counter its enemies beyond its borders.
- ☯️ Iran has harbored al-Qaeda members, creating a marriage of convenience despite differing ideologies.
- 🇺🇸 Both Iran and al-Qaeda aim to undermine the United States and reduce its influence in the region.
- 🆚 Iran worked with the U.S. to combat al-Qaeda during the 2001 Afghanistan invasion but can't ally with ISIS due to sectarian differences.
- 💥 ISIS has attempted to establish an Iran affiliate and carried out thwarted attacks in Iran.
- 🔍 Iran's Ministry of Intelligence and Security conducts extensive intelligence gathering for counterterrorism.
- ⚖️ Critics argue that Iran's intelligence operations also target political dissidents and opposition groups.
- 🤝 Iran employs a three-pronged approach to foster good relations with its Sunni minority, including economic development and outreach to Sunni clerics.
- 🛡️ The Quds Force, led by General Qasem Soleimani, is an elite unit involved in counterterrorism and supporting groups like Hezbollah outside Iran.
- 🎖️ General Qasem Soleimani has become a public figure, showcasing Iran's efforts against ISIS through social media.
- 🎯 Despite its measures, Iran remains a target of terrorist attacks.
Q & A
What has the United States historically accused Iran of?
-The United States has historically accused Iran of exporting terror.
How has Iran been a target of terror attacks?
-Iran has been a target of terror attacks for decades, and its leaders have developed elaborate counterterrorism methods to address this issue.
What is one way Iran counters its enemies in the region?
-Iran counters its enemies in the region by backing Shiite militant groups like Hezbollah, which take the fight to hotspots beyond Iran's borders.
How has Iran's relationship with al-Qaeda been characterized?
-The relationship between Iran and al-Qaeda is described as a marriage of convenience, where they cooperate when it suits their interests, such as minimizing the United States' influence, but have conflicting interests on other matters.
Why can't Iran work with ISIS like it did with al-Qaeda?
-Iran can't work with ISIS like it did with al-Qaeda because ISIS is anti-Shiite, which is fundamentally opposed to Iran's interests and identity.
What is Iran's approach to intelligence gathering in counterterrorism?
-Iran's intelligence gathering is headed by the Ministry of Intelligence and Security, which arrests and interrogates individuals suspected of having ties to opposition separatists and terrorist groups.
How has Iran's intelligence gathering been criticized?
-Critics argue that Iran's intelligence gathering is a double-edged sword, as it has been used to monitor political dissidents and suppress opposition to the government.
What is Iran's approach to the Sunni population within the country?
-Iran has adopted a three-pronged approach to the Sunni population, playing nice by trying to convey that Iran is not a sectarian player, reaching out to Sunni clerics, and boosting economic opportunities and development in Sunni areas.
What is the role of the Quds Force in Iran's counterterrorism strategy?
-The Quds Force is an elite arm of the Revolutionary Guards that operates outside Iranian borders, working with groups like Kurdish forces and Shiite militias to counter groups like ISIS and cause trouble for American and Western entities involved in Middle Eastern conflicts.
Who is the leader of the Quds Force and what has been his role?
-General Qasem Soleimani is the leader of the Quds Force and has become an icon in Iran, publicizing his involvement in the fight against ISIS through selfies in Iraq and Syria.
Despite counterterrorism measures, why does Iran remain a target?
-Despite its counterterrorism measures, Iran remains a target due to its geopolitical position, its support for certain militant groups, and its adversarial relationships with other regional and global powers.
Outlines
🔍 Iran's Counterterrorism Measures and Regional Influence
The paragraph discusses the United States' accusations against Iran for exporting terror, while Iran itself has been a target of attacks for many years. Iran employs a range of counterterrorism methods, including backing Shiite militant groups like Hezbollah to extend its influence beyond its borders. It has also had a complex relationship with al-Qaeda, where they share a common enemy in the United States but have conflicting interests on other matters. Iran's intelligence gathering, led by the Ministry of Intelligence and Security, plays a crucial role in identifying and neutralizing threats, although it has been criticized for also suppressing political dissent. The paragraph also touches on Iran's efforts to appease the Sunni population within the country and its use of the Quds Force, led by General Qasem Soleimani, to counter terrorism and influence regional conflicts.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Counterterrorism
💡Hezbollah
💡Al-Qaida
💡ISIS
💡Intelligence Gathering
💡Sunni Extremists
💡Revolutionary Guards
💡General Qasem Soleimani
💡Sectarian
💡Economic Opportunities
💡Inroads
Highlights
The United States has historically accused Iran of exporting terror, yet Iran has also been a target of attacks for decades.
Iran employs elaborate and opaque counterterrorism methods to maintain security both within and beyond its borders.
Iran counters regional enemies by backing Shiite militant groups such as Hezbollah, which extend the conflict beyond Iran's borders.
Iran has reportedly harbored al-Qaeda members, allowing them safe passage through the country to gain goodwill from Sunni extremists.
The working relationship between al-Qaeda and Iran is described as a marriage of convenience based on mutual interests against the United States.
Iran and al-Qaeda have a conflicting relationship on certain issues but cooperate when it suits their interests.
Iran welcomed the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan in 2001 and worked with the U.S. to push back al-Qaeda.
Iran cannot work with ISIS due to the group's anti-Shiite stance, which is fundamentally opposed to Iran's interests.
ISIS has attempted to establish an affiliate in Iran and has been involved in thwarted attacks.
Iran's intelligence gathering, led by the Ministry of Intelligence and Security, is a key strategy in counterterrorism.
Critics argue that Iran's intelligence gathering is also used to monitor political dissidents and suppress opposition.
Iran has adopted a three-pronged approach to engage with the Sunni minority within the country, including outreach and economic development.
The Quds Force, part of the Revolutionary Guards, operates outside Iran's borders to counter groups like ISIS and to challenge American and Western interests.
General Qasem Soleimani, the leader of the Quds Force, has become an iconic figure in Iran's fight against ISIS.
Despite its counterterrorism efforts, Iran remains a target for terrorist activities.
Transcripts
the United States has long accused Iran
of exporting terror but the country
itself has been a target of attacks for
decades its leaders have a variety of
very elaborate and very opaque
counterterrorism methods that have
helped them for 10 amis both within and
beyond its borders one way the country
counters its enemies in the region is by
backing Shiite militant groups like
Hezbollah which take the fight to
hotspots beyond Iran's borders in places
like Syria by reportedly harboring
al-qaeda members and allowing them safe
passage through the country Iran bought
itself some goodwill from the Sunni
extremists it also helped that they both
wish death to America the working
relationship between al-qaeda and Iran
is a marriage of convenience the two
don't necessarily see eye-to-eye are a
number of issues however they do both of
them do want to under my the United
States they want to minimize its
influence in Iran's neighbourhood and in
the case of al Qaeda in the Middle East
and and South Asia
so they have worked together when it's
it's suited their interests and they
have had a conflicting relationship when
it didn't so when the United States
invaded Afghanistan in 2001 Iran
welcomed it and actually worked with the
United States to push back al Qaeda Iran
can't work with Isis like it did with al
Qaeda because simply put Isis's anti
Shiites dances one way it distinguishes
itself from al Qaeda
Isis has tried to establish an Iran
affiliate and has even attempted attacks
that were thwarted the leader of the
so-called cell was called Abu Ayesha al
Kurdi
local Iranian media reported he was
killed in a counter-terror operation in
2016 but as the attack in Tehran showed
clearly the group has been able to make
inroads intelligence gathering is one of
Iran's major strategies for counter
terrorism this is headed up by the
Ministry of intelligence and security it
arrests and interrogate Sinn dividuals
suspected of having ties to opposition
separatists and terrorist groups
operating in Iran critics say this
intelligence gathering is a double-edged
sword and has been used to monitor
political dissidents and crush
opposition to the government Iran has
worked a three-pronged approach to
playing nice but the four percent of
Sunnis living in the country
president rouhani has tried to convey
that Iran is not a sectarian player
leaders have also reached out to Sunni
clerics and work to boost economic
opportunities and development in Sunni
areas the Kurds force is an elite arm of
the Revolutionary Guards it mostly
operates outside Iranian borders with
groups like the Kurdish forces and
Shiite militias their goal is to counter
groups like Isis and also to cause
trouble for American and Western
entities involved in Middle Eastern
conflicts the courts force is one of the
most active counterterrorism groups and
units in Iran but ironically it's also
one of the units that is in charge of
helping terrorist groups like Hezbollah
beyond Iran's borders it's led by
general Qasem Soleimani who is who's
become an icon essentially in the past
few years he's been publicizing a lot of
selfies in Iraq and Syria trying to show
that he is the face of Iran's fight
against Isis despite all these measures
to cultivate allies and cuál enemies
Iran has been and very much remains a
target
[Music]
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