Iran’s stance in the Middle East presents a stark paradox: a nation simultaneously advocating for peace and actively supporting proxy forces that ignite regional conflicts. This dichotomy was laid bare during Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian’s visit to the United Nations General Assembly in New York. While Pezeshkian positioned Iran as a beacon of peace and stability in West Asia, Tehran’s unwavering support for Hezbollah, Hamas, and the Houthis spoke volumes, contradicting his peaceful rhetoric.
As Pezeshkian delivered his peacemaking speech, Israeli airstrikes in Lebanon unleashed a wave of violence, claiming the lives of at least 492 people, according to the health ministry. This marked the deadliest day of violence since the Gaza war erupted, sparking swift condemnation from Arab nations against Israel’s escalating aggression, particularly against Hezbollah, which has reached levels not seen in almost a year. However, Iran’s refusal to rein in its proxy terror networks – the notorious trio of Hezbollah, Hamas, and the Houthis – has not gone unnoticed. Despite not having absolute control over these groups, Iran’s fingerprints are undeniably present in their actions. Tehran possesses the power to steer these groups towards peace, but it chooses a different path.
The current war erupted following Hamas’s audacious attack on Israel on October 7, drawing Hezbollah and other Iran-backed groups into the chaos. In response, Israel retaliated with deadly precision, announcing the elimination of a “large number” of Hezbollah fighters and striking 1,600 targets across southern and eastern Lebanon, including a high-profile hit in Beirut under the banner of “Operation Northern Arrows.”
While Pezeshkian condemned the US and other Western countries for what he deemed double standards – criticizing Iran for human rights violations while ignoring Israel’s actions in Gaza – he conveniently overlooked the suffering inflicted on innocent Israeli citizens by Iran’s proxies. This highlights a core aspect of Iran’s strategy – portraying itself as a victim while actively fueling regional conflicts.
Despite its diplomatic facade, Iran’s influence in West Asia rests heavily on its network of proxy groups, sustained through financial aid, weapons, and military training. Hezbollah, Hamas, and the Houthi rebels are prime beneficiaries of this support. This network forms the cornerstone of Iran’s regional “forward defense” strategy, allowing it to project power and challenge US, Israeli, and Saudi interests without direct involvement. Iran’s relationship with Lebanese-terror group Hezbollah began in the 1980s, when the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps helped form the group as a response to Israeli occupation in Lebanon. Today, Hezbollah stands as one of the best-equipped militias in West Asia, largely due to Iranian backing. While US sanctions have impacted the financial flow from Tehran to Hezbollah, Iran continues to provide the group with sophisticated weaponry, including precision-guided missiles and drones. Hezbollah’s involvement in regional conflicts, from the Syrian civil war to the recent conflict with Israel, showcases Iran’s indirect yet significant role in regional warfare.
Iran’s relationship with Hamas, while more recent, also exemplifies its pragmatic approach to forming alliances. Despite sectarian differences – Iran is predominantly Shia, while Hamas is a Sunni Islamist group – both share a mutual enmity toward Israel, strengthening their alliance over the years. Hamas receives Iranian financial and military support, including rocket technology development, making it a formidable adversary against Israeli forces. Both in the ongoing conflict and in the 2021 Gaza-Israel war, Hamas rockets launched from Gaza kept the Israeli Iron Dome systems busy day and night in defending against their relentless barrage.
In Yemen, Iran has backed the Houthi rebels, who adhere to a form of Shia Islam, to challenge Saudi Arabia’s dominance on the Arabian Peninsula. Iranian support for the Houthis has been instrumental in sustaining the group’s fight against the Yemeni government and the Saudi-led coalition. Iran has not only provided arms and military advisers to the Houthis but has also empowered them to launch missile and drone attacks on Saudi targets, disrupting regional stability. Like Hezbollah and Hamas, the Houthis serve as a crucial tool in Iran’s effort to expand its influence in the region while avoiding direct confrontation with its adversaries.
Iran’s proxy warfare strategy has long been its preferred means of challenging US and Israeli influence in the region, allowing Tehran to engage in asymmetric warfare. The shadow war between Israel and Iran, which erupted into the open in April 2024 when Israeli airstrikes targeted Iranian commanders in Syria, exemplifies this dynamic. Such incidents highlight the risks of escalation, as Iran retaliated for Israeli provocations while carefully avoiding actions that might spark a wider war, threatening the regime’s survival. At the same time, the US remains wary of Iran’s role in backing groups like Hezbollah and Hamas. The US has designated more than 20 Iranian-backed groups as foreign terrorist organizations, subjecting them and their leaders to sanctions. Despite these efforts, Iran’s proxy strategy remains resilient, as Tehran finds ways to circumvent sanctions and maintain its influence across West Asia.
While Iran’s proxy warfare has proven effective in advancing its regional ambitions, it comes with significant risks. The delicate balance Iran maintains between supporting militant groups and avoiding all-out war is increasingly tenuous. For instance, as tensions between Israel and Hezbollah escalate, particularly following Israeli airstrikes in Lebanon, Iran faces the danger of being drawn into a conflict that could spiral out of control. Moreover, Iran’s extensive involvement in proxy warfare undermines its peacemaking rhetoric. While President Pezeshkian in New York called for dialogue and blamed Israel for regional instability, Tehran’s actions tell a different story. The support Iran extends to groups like Hezbollah, Hamas, and the Houthis actively fuels regional conflicts, contradicting the peaceful image it tries to project on the international stage. Iran’s actions in Yemen, where the Houthis continue to launch missile and drone strikes on ships in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, further highlight this contradiction.
Iran’s dual strategy of advocating for peace while supporting proxy warfare leaves it walking a fine line between diplomacy and conflict. Its call for a return to the 2015 nuclear agreement suggests a willingness to engage in international negotiations, but its support for groups like Hezbollah, Hamas, and the Houthis signals an ongoing commitment to asymmetric warfare. As the situation remains volatile, particularly with escalating tensions between Israel and Hezbollah, Iran’s delicate balancing act between diplomacy and conflict grows increasingly fragile, with both internal and external pressures weighing heavily on its future strategy.
