Iran’s Great Power Politics and Intelligence:

The Rising Influence of Tehran in Iraq since 2003

Abstract

Since the Iranian revolution and the Iran-Iraq war, Iran has tried to shape the politics of Iraq according to its own interests. Since the American intervention in 2003, Iran’s influence in Iraq has continued to strengthen through the support of the Shia militias, and with the rise of the Islamic State and the loss of territory by Iraqi government forces, the Shia militias loyal to Iran have continued to expand. Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary
Guard Corps plays a key role in establishing spheres of influence. The Islamic Republic’s regional power aspiration rests on a civilizational and Shiite ideological basis through
the velayat-e faqih (to export the Islamic revolution). Iran’s tools for expanding its influence are therefore diverse – extensive soft power, cultural diplomacy, military force. Yet, the cohesive force between them is mostly based on ideology.