Iran is an opponent ofIslamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS,Arabic:داعش),[a] fighting the group inSyria andIraq. Proxy conflicts have also occurred in other regions such as Egypt (Islamic State – Sinai Province) and spillover into Gaza.
Since the start of theSyrian Civil War in 2011, Iran supported Assad'sSyrian Arab Republic against its opponents, including ISIS.[1]
Iran was the first country[2] to pledge assistance to Iraq to fight ISIS, deploying troops in early June 2014 following theNorth Iraq offensive.[3][4]
President of IraqFuad Masum has praised Iran as "the first country to provide weapons to Iraq to fight against the ISIS Takfiri terrorists".[5]
Iran'sQuds Force is a "key player" in themilitary intervention against ISIS[6] and its "mastermind" commander Major GeneralQasem Soleimani maintained a frequent presence in Iraq while his pictures in the battlefield were regularly published.[7][8]
In 14 March 2016, two ISIS cells equipped with explosive devices were eliminated near the border by theGround Forces of Islamic Republic of Iran Army.[9]
Foreign Affairs Minister of IranJavad Zarif has described ISIS as an "ideological sibling" toAl-Qaeda, adding "the so-called Islamic State, is neitherIslamic nor astate".[10]
Supreme Leader of IranAli Khamenei has openly commented on theAmerican-led intervention in Iraq and theCombined Joint Task Force:
On the issue ofDAESH (ISIS),they formed a coalition. Of course, they are lying and this is a hypocritical act. They wrote a letter to our Ministry of Foreign Affairs saying, "If you say that America gives weapons toDAESH, this is a lie and we are not supporting them". Well, a short time after that, the photos which showed that America gives weapons toDAESH were published.[11]
Iranian official and semi-official media outlets such asstate-runIran Daily,[12] andIRGC-tied news agenciesFars[13] andTasnim[14] frequently call ISIS as "terrorist organization" and "Takfiri".
The deputy secretary ofSupreme National Security Council has also called it "terrorist group".[15]
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While Iran is aShia-dominant country, ISIS is ideologically anti-Shia and regards Shias asinfidels, having killed thousands of them. After rapidly expanding in Iraq, ISIS became a threat only kilometers away from Iranian western borders. With the Pakistan-based Sunni Jihadist groups in eastern Iran and an ongoingSistan and Baluchestan insurgency, some alarmed the possibility of a wider backlash there.[16]
Iran threatened ISIS that managing to attackBaghdad or holy shrines ofShia Imams and getting close toIran-Iraq border is "over thered lines" and if they are crossed, Iran will engage in a direct action.[17]
In September 2014, Iranian paperIslamic Republican quotedHadana news reporting "ISIS designated Emir for Iran and several of his aides were arrested by security bodies". The report did not name the Emir, and did not say if they had been able to sneak into Iran or arrested abroad. Neither did it mention the security bodies of which country have made the arrest.[18]
In the same month,Minister of InteriorAbdolreza Rahmani Fazli announced Iran has arrested several suspected members of ISIS trying to enter Iran. He said that two or three of them have confessed "entering Iran has been among the plans of the ISIS" and dismissed the reports on the ISIS move to recruit members inside Iran, despite noting "this does not mean that the group has not launched a publicity campaign for recruitment".[14]
On 29 January 2015, ISIS announced a new province calledWilayat Khorasan consisting ofAfghanistan,Pakistan, and "other nearby lands".Hafiz Saeed Khan was designated as Emir of the province.Pakistani Hafiz Saeed Khan, also known as Mulla Saeed Orakzai, is a former member of theTaliban.[19]
On 7 June 2017, ISIS claimed responsibility for an attack on the Iranian Parliament and the mausoleum ofAyatollah Khomeini.[20] The attack was confirmed to have left 16 dead and was the first instance of an ISIS attack within Iran's borders. There are worries about the implications of this attack on PresidentHassan Rouhani's "moderation project".[21]
Ahvaz military parade attack happened on 22 September 2018, amilitary parade was attacked by armed gunmen in the southwesternIranian city ofAhvaz.[22][23] The shooters killed 25 people, including soldiers of theIslamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and civilian bystanders.[24]
On 3 January 2024, ISIS claimed responsibility for theKerman bombings incident that killed nearly 100 Iranian civilians atQasem Soleimani's burial site.[25]
Tehran Bureau reports a popular support on Iran's military action against ISIS.[26]
According toAl Jazeera, as of January 2015 "hundreds" ofIranian Sunni Kurds have crossed theIran-Iraq border to fight ISIS, mostly joiningIraqi Kurdistan fighters also known asPeshmerga.[27]
Several research works and polls conducted by a security body in Iran have shown thatIran's Sunni community "are not interested in membership in the ISIS".[18] However,Erbil-based website Rudaw cites aFacebook post from the One ISIS page saying that in October 2014, 23 Kurds from Iran had joined the group. Kurdish activist Mokhtar Hoshmand has claimed "20 Iranian Kurdish members of ISIS have been killed and 30 have been injured".[28]
The "Axis of Resistance" is a Westernexonym for a set of militant factions in nearby Arab States allegedly allied to Iran. Some of these have come into conflict with ISIS affiliates or sympathisers. Israel, an opponent of Iran, has also armed opposing proxies, some of which have alleged links to ISIS.
In June 2025, Israeli Prime MinisterBenjamin Netanyahu said that Israel was arming thePopular Forces, aRafah-based group led byYasser Abu Shabab, during theGaza war. The Popular Forces have been linked to IS; some of its prominent figures have been identified as former IS militants who fought in theSinai insurgency.[29][30][31] Abu Shabab has denied any collaboration with Israel or connections to IS.[32][33] The researcher and analystAymenn Jawad Al-Tamimi disputed claims that the Popular Forces are affiliated with IS; he argued that their use of the Palestinian flag in their logo and uniforms would be unacceptable to IS even as a disguise, and that collaboration with Israel constitutesapostasy from Islam fromIS's perspective.[34]
Israeli prime minister Netanyahu has reluctantly admitted to arminganti-Hamas factions in the Gaza Strip.[35] Allegations were raised byAvigdor Lieberman and Netanyahu's response was to say, "Israel is working to defeat Hamas in various ways".[36]Some took this as confirmation of the story.[35]Only one of the recipient groups has been publicly identified. Led by Yasser Abu Shebab. His family responded by disowning him, and dating that they wanted him assassinated.[35]A similar reaction to the families of Gazans who conducted suicide bombings against Hamas, in sympathy with ISIS.Yasser Abu Shabab was previously imprisoned by Hamas for criminal offences.[37] but escaped when Gaza's prison was bombed.[38]The move was criticised because previously Netanyahu supported an anti-PLO group, Hamas, who eventually allied with factions of the PLO against Israel during the second intifada.[35]Leila Molana-Allen, said there has been no evidence of Hamas attacking aid convoys.[35] She added that there was no evidence the groups being armed were loyal Israel.[35]Allen also said that the Israel-supported militants had previously admitted that the aid being looted previously was "for their fighters".[35]Several months previously, in November 2024 a Hamas government spokesperson said that their security forces had killed twenty looters with links to ISIS.[39]
