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Iran Has Invested in Allies and Proxies across the Middle East
(Washington Post) Claire Parker - On Thursday, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo listed a series of attacks he said "Iranian surrogates" have committed since early May, describing them as part of "an unacceptable campaign of escalating tension by Iran." Iran's emphasis on developing proxy forces goes back to the 1979 revolution that gave rise to the Islamic Republic. The Shiite theocracy sought to export its revolution and empower Shiite groups in the Middle East from the outset. Experts say the regime's primary goal is to project power throughout the Middle East. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps' Quds Force, a special arm focused on external operations led by Maj.-Gen. Qasem Soleimani, organizes and trains fighters with allied militias and provides them with weapons.