Iran war & Middle East crisis — faction guide

Leadership & governance

• Supreme Leader (Ayatollah Ali Khamenei): highest authority on strategic security and ideological lines under the Islamic Republic’s constitution.
• President & cabinet: day-to-day executive; competes with parallel power centers (IRGC, judiciary, clerical bodies).
• MOIS (Ministry of Intelligence): civilian foreign and domestic intelligence service; overlaps and tensions with IRGC intelligence are widely reported.

IRGC & Quds Force

• IRGC: parallel military with ground, naval, aerospace, and Basij mobilization arms; central to internal security and external operations.
• Quds Force: external operations arm; trains and equips partners (e.g., Hezbollah, Iraqi factions, others — degree varies).

Artesh (regular military)

• Conventional army, navy, and air force; owns much of Iran’s traditional defense capacity alongside IRGC.

Military capability (indicative)

• Ballistic missiles, drones, layered air defenses; asymmetric naval concepts in the Gulf.
• Proxy network extends reach without relying solely on conventional border war.

Alliances & tensions

• Aligned: Syria, Iraqi militias, Hezbollah, Houthis (coordination debated), deepening defense ties with Russia (per 2025–26 analyses).
• Adversarial: Israel, US, several Gulf states.

Government & institutions

• Elected government and Knesset; IDF (ground, air, navy); Mossad (foreign intelligence); Shin Bet (internal security).

Military capability

• Advanced air force, tiered missile defense, cyber and intelligence depth; reserve-heavy ground force.

Backing

• US military aid and technology; broad US political support with domestic debate.

Alliances & enemies

• Core partner: United States.
• Regional: Abraham Accords and quiet security ties with some Arab states; conflict with Iran and Iranian proxies.

Posture

• CENTCOM plans Middle East operations; Israel under CENTCOM tightens planning with Israeli forces.
• Carrier groups, air assets, THAAD/Patriot deployments fluctuate with crises; 5th Fleet covers naval presence.

Policy tensions

• Support for Israel vs escalation risk; deterrence of Iran; protection of shipping (Red Sea, Gulf).
• Allied debates (NATO/EU) on strikes vs diplomacy.

Role

• Political party and armed group; often described as Iran’s most capable proxy militarily.
• Rocket/missile arsenal, drones, trained cadre; deep IRGC ties.

Alliances & enemies

• Backed by: Iran.
• Opposed by: Israel; friction inside Lebanon over weapons outside state monopoly.

Structure

• Sunni Islamist movement; Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades as armed wing.
• Tunnels, rockets, urban warfare doctrine.

External support

• Iran has supported Hamas in various periods; Qatar and others feature in diplomacy and funding debates — verify per incident.

Role

• Iran-backed Palestinian faction focused on armed struggle; smaller than Hamas but active in Gaza and the West Bank flashpoints.
• Often cooperates with Hamas operationally while competing politically.

Role

• De facto authority in much of northern Yemen; Red Sea / Bab el-Mandeb attacks affect global shipping.
• Drones and missiles; Western governments allege Iranian technology transfer (Tehran denies or qualifies).

State vs militias

• Formal government hosts US forces; parliament and factions debate presence.
• PMF: umbrella including Iran-linked groups (e.g., Kataib Hezbollah) implicated in attacks on US personnel.

Regime & outsiders

• Government rebuilt control with Russian air support and Iranian-ground proxies.
• IRGC and Hezbollah presence; Israeli strikes on transshipment; Turkish-controlled north; Kurdish-led northeast (historical US partner).

Saudi Arabia & UAE

• Rivalry with Iran; US security partners; oil and Gulf security architecture.
• Abraham Accords; Saudi-Israel normalization still conditional on Palestinian and US guarantee framing in public discourse.

Jordan & Egypt

• Peace treaties with Israel; border security; refugee and stability concerns.

Turkey

• NATO member with forces in northern Syria; balances ties with Ukraine/Russia, Qatar, and Hamas political leadership hosting.
• Competes and cooperates with Iran in Iraq and Syria depending on issue.

Qatar

• Gas-rich Gulf monarchy; diplomatic bridge to Islamist movements and mediation in Gaza wars; US base host (Al Udeid).

Kuwait

• US ally and OPEC producer; careful neutrality in Iran–Gulf competition; strategic location on northern Gulf.

• Syria basing; arms exports; balancing Iran, Israel, and Gulf states.
• 2025–26 reporting on deeper Iran–Russia defense cooperation — verify via Carnegie, ISW, Reuters.

• Major Iranian oil buyer despite sanctions risk; long-term cooperation framework.
• Larger cumulative Gulf investment in many datasets; brokers Saudi–Iran dialogue rhetoric while avoiding war entanglement.

• Sanctions on Iran; diplomatic nuclear-track efforts; strike participation varies by country.
• Energy and migration exposure to Middle East instability.

• Core caliphate defeated as a territorial project; low-level insurgency and cells in Iraq and Syria per UN and US reporting.
• Opposed by virtually all states above; occasionally exploited as cover for cross-border security operations — verify claims.