Recent Iranian dispatches have announced that for the first time Iran will hold a regional conference in memory of “the anonymous casualties of the resistance.” Invited are “the families of the fallen” of Iran’s proxy armies: the Fatemiyoun divisions from Afghanistan, the Zainebiyoun in Pakistan, the Ansar Allah Houthi movement in Yemen, Hizbullah in Lebanon, the Kata’ib Hizbullah resistance forces in Bahrain, and the al-Nujaba movement and Hashd al-Shaabi in Iraq. The commanders of the Basij in Syria also have been invited to this grand event. It will take place over two days in the province of Mazandaran in Iran, on the coast of the Caspian Sea, on Thursday and Friday, August 22-23, 2019.
Gen. Qasem Soleimani, commander of the Quds Force of the Islamic Revolution Guard Corps, is a guest of honor, along with several other IRGC officers, who will address the “crowd of thousands,” the event’s organizers have announced. According to the press release, during the event, Soleimani will ask to turn the conference into an annual event that will take place each year in one of the countries where the resistance forces are operating.2
Iraqi Shiite Group Tightens Bond with Iran
The commander of the Iraqi movement al-Nujaba, Nasr al-Shammari, stated in his August 4, 2019, meeting with Saeed Jalili, former secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, that any government in Iraq that acts against Iran would fall within weeks. Al-Shammari added, “Iraq would never take part in the sanctions against Iran, and the Americans themselves are well aware of the fact that any Baghdad administration that acted against Iran would meet its end within several weeks.”3
The spokesman added that al-Nujaba “is closely following all U.S. targets in Iraq, which are 11 in total, including around 11,000 troops.” Al-Shammari continued: “Iran is a symbol of resistance for us because the Iranian government believes in the values of Imam Khamenei, and as he has said, America is the great Satan.”
Nasr al-Shammari also repeated these comments at a meeting on August 4, 2019, with Yahya Rahim Safavi, military adviser to Ayatollah Khamenei and former commander of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard.4, 5
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Notes
1 https://www.yjc.ir/fa/news/7037655/%D8%B3%D8%B1%D8%AF%D8%A7%D8%B1-%D9%82%D8%A7%D8%B3%D9%85-%D8%B3%D9%84%DB%8C%D9%85%D8%A7%D9%86%DB%8C-%D8%A8%D9%87-%D9%85%D8%A7%D8%B2%D9%86%D8%AF%D8%B1%D8%A7%D9%86-%D9%85%DB%8C%E2%80%8C%D8%A2%DB%8C%D8%AF
2 https://www.shomalnews.com/view/188385/%D8%B3%D8%B1%D8%AF%D8%A7%D8%B1-%D9%82%D8%A7%D8%B3%D9%85-%D8%B3%D9%84%DB%8C%D9%85%D8%A7%D9%86%DB%8C-%D8%A8%D9%87-%D9%85%D8%A7%D8%B2%D9%86%D8%AF%D8%B1%D8%A7%D9%86-%D9%85%DB%8C%E2%80%8C%D8%A2%DB%8C%D8%AF/
3 https://ana.ir/fa/news/33/408969/%D8%AF%D9%88%D9%84%D8%AA%DB%8C-%D8%AF%D8%B1-%D8%B9%D8%B1%D8%A7%D9%82-%D8%B9%D9%84%DB%8C%D9%87-%D8%A7%DB%8C%D8%B1%D8%A7%D9%86-%D8%A7%D9%82%D8%AF%D8%A7%D9%85-%DA%A9%D9%86%D8%AF-%D8%B7%DB%8C-%DA%86%D9%86%D8%AF-%D9%87%D9%81%D8%AA%D9%87-%D8%B3%D8%B1%D9%86%DA%AF%D9%88%D9%86-%D8%AE%D9%88%D8%A7%D9%87%D8%AF-%D8%B4%D8%AF
4 https://www.mashreghnews.ir/news/981255/%D9%86%D8%AC%D8%A8%D8%A7%D8%A1-%DB%B1%DB%B1-%D9%BE%D8%A7%DB%8C%DA%AF%D8%A7%D9%87-%D8%A2%D9%85%D8%B1%DB%8C%DA%A9%D8%A7-%D8%AF%D8%B1-%D8%B9%D8%B1%D8%A7%D9%82-%D8%B1%D8%A7-%D8%B2%DB%8C%D8%B1-%D9%86%D8%B8%D8%B1-%D8%AF%D8%A7%D8%B1%DB%8C%D9%85
5 https://www.yjc.ir/fa/news/7037655/%D8%B3%D8%B1%D8%AF%D8%A7%D8%B1-%D9%82%D8%A7%D8%B3%D9%85-%D8%B3%D9%84%DB%8C%D9%85%D8%A7%D9%86%DB%8C-%D8%A8%D9%87-%D9%85%D8%A7%D8%B2%D9%86%D8%AF%D8%B1%D8%A7%D9%86-%D9%85%DB%8C%E2%80%8C%D8%A2%DB%8C%D8%AF
