Analysis: What are the goals of Iranian FM’s visit to resistance states?

AhlulBayt News Agency (ABNA): The main foreign policy approach of administration of President Sayed Ibrahim Raisi of Iran revolves around maintaining and expanding ties with the countries of Axis of Resistance as it knows that regional influence is one of the pillars of national security and strategic depth of the Islamic Republic and the plans of the enemies, on top of them the US, revolve around limiting this influence. The trips of Foreign Minister Hussein Amir-Abdollahian to the geopolitical sphere of Resistance camp, a regional bloc led by Iran and including Syria, Iraq, Lebanon, Yemen, and Palestine, over the past months since he took the post bear witness to this policy by President Raisi's administration.

As a follow-up to this approach, Amir-Abdollahian has started a tour to Syria and Lebanon that is of great importance in terms of timing.

Strengthening the Resistance camp's security belt based on the new offensive approach

Confronting the Western interventionist policy and the violations by the Israeli regime as an illegitimate entity created and nurtured by the West in the heart of the Muslim world and supporting the pro-liberation aspirations of the Palestinians is the common thread of the views of nations supporting the resistance discourse in the region. Meanwhile, the integration of the power of the branches of the Axis of Resistance is a permanent point in the Iranian security and defense strategy.

Following the eruption of the Arab uprisings, the Western-Arab-Israeli axis pushed to drag them into the Resistance nations like Iraq, Lebanon, and Syria. But the Resistance front thwarted the plot and transformed the challenge into an opportunity to solidify its security belt against the Israeli expansionism. In all these years, Tehran as a leader of this camp, embarked on a policy of "strategic patience" in the face of the Israeli adventures in Syria and Lebanon and focused on the goals of its advisory mission in Syria which are the fight against terrorism, establishing access to the Mediterranean, and boosting military might of Lebanese and Palestinian resistant groups.

But Tehran recently, by its missile strikes on the Israeli spying base in Erbil, showed a transition away from strategic patience doctrine and initiating "active and offensive resistance" based on which the sources of threat are neutralized preemptively before their endangering actions.

Certainly, pursuing this strategy in coordination with regional partners is one of the goals of the Iranian FM's visit to the the Levant region, near the borders of the occupied Palestinian territories. Removing the weak spots of the Lebanese airspace that are used by the Israeli air force to launch attacks on targets in Syria and enhancing the capability to deal with such Israeli violations are the key goals. Certainly, in the new era, Iran gives a surprising and tough response to the Israeli adventures from the closest spot to the occupied territories.

Adapting to dynamics of regional order

In recent years, the international developments have accelerated and at the same time the calculus of power and security and political systems of West Asia have transfered to a new order. This fact has led regional and international powers to adapt to this transitional situation and influence its course.

The beginning of the US withdrawal from the region and at the same time Washington efforts to build an Arab-Israeli alliance shaped on a normalization agreement in opposition to the Axis of Resistance, the decline of US power and the crisis in Arab-Washington relations, the tendency of Arab countries to rebuild relations with Syria and growing possibility of Damascus return to the Arab League, economic crisis in Lebanon, and Iran-Saudi Arabia de-escalation talks are only part of the developments of this transition period.

Referring to his last visit to Beirut a few months ago, Amir-Abdollahian told journalists that since his last trip there have been plenty of developments regionally and internationally, and so there is a need for precise consultations with the Lebanese officials as the countries share views.

Lebanon is a very important country in the Arab world and the West Asia, which is the area of presence and competition of regional and international powers. The country is facing major parliamentary elections in the coming weeks, and no doubt foreign intervention against Hezbollah seeks to influence developments in the country. The Achilles heel these countries are using is the economic crisis in order to weaken Hezbollah's body and popular base by fueling the crisis. On the other hand, the US is trying to reduce the influence of Iran and Hezbollah in Lebanon by making Lebanon dependent for energy on Egypt and the Israeli regime. Therefore, an important part of the goals of Amir-Abdollahian's visit to Lebanon is to reiterate support for the improvement of Lebanon's economic situation and Tehran's readiness to assist in this process.

"In a meeting I had a month ago in Munich with the Lebanese Prime Minister Mr. Najib Mikati, I voiced to him the readiness of the Islamic Republic of Iran to construct two 1,000-MW power stations in Lebanon and to expand trade and economic cooperation, and today I carry warm messages from the dear people of Iran to all the people of Lebanon," Amir-Abdollahian told a press conference.

Therefore, while it is said that the US is, through talks to revive the nuclear deal with Iran, in desperate talks to restrict the Iranian influence on the negotiating table, the attack on Mossad spying site near the under-construction US consulate in the Kurdish region in northern Iraq and Amir-Abdollahian's regional tour with a message of expansion of relations is practically a response to Washington claims and threats.




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