‘Iran provided weapons, funding and training to Bahrain militants’
Al Quds Force is used to create instability in Middle East, US State Department report says
Iran was once more labelled by the US as the world’s top government sponsor of terrorism.
In its Country Reports on Terrorism 2016, the State Department said that “designated as a State Sponsor of Terrorism in 1984, Iran continued its terrorist-related activity in 2016, including support for Hezbollah, Palestinian terrorist groups in Gaza, and various groups in Syria, Iraq, and throughout the Middle East.”
“Iran used the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-Quds Force (IRGC-QF) to implement foreign policy goals, provide cover for intelligence operations, and create instability in the Middle East,” the report, issued annually under congressional mandate, noted. “Iran has acknowledged the involvement of the IRGC-QF in the conflicts in Iraq and Syria and the IRGC-QF is Iran’s primary mechanism for cultivating and supporting terrorists abroad.”
The report said that Iran has provided weapons, funding, and training to Bahraini militant groups that have conducted attacks on the Bahraini security forces.
“On January 6, 2016, Bahraini security officials dismantled a terrorist cell, linked to IRGC-QF, planning to carry out a series of bombings throughout the country.”
The State Department report noted that: “Iran views the Al Assad regime in Syria as a crucial ally and Syria and Iraq as crucial routes to supply weapons to Hezbollah, Iran’s primary terrorist partner.”
“Iran has facilitated and coerced, through financial or residency enticements, primarily fighters from Afghanistan and Pakistan to participate in the Al Assad regime’s brutal crackdown in Syria,” the report said.
Iran-supported militias in Iraq have committed serious human rights abuses against civilians and Iranian forces have directly backed militia operations in Syria with armoured vehicles, artillery, and drones, it added.
Iran has historically provided weapons, training, and funding to Hamas and other Palestinian terrorist groups, including Palestine Islamic Jihad and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine-General Command. These Palestinian terrorist groups have been behind a number of deadly attacks originating in Gaza and the West Bank, including attacks against Israeli civilians and Egyptian security forces in the Sinai Peninsula.
According to the report, Iran maintains a robust cyber terrorism programme and has sponsored cyber-attacks against foreign government and private sector entities.
“Iran remained unwilling to bring to justice senior Al Qaida members it continued to detain and has refused to publicly identify the members in its custody. Since at least 2009, Iran has allowed Al Qaida facilitators to operate a core facilitation pipeline through the country, enabling AQ to move funds and fighters to South Asia and Syria,” the report said.