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The third chapter of the report, which consists of eight parts, details the attacks carried out by Iran or its proxies in the region and the world, as well as the role that Tehran has played in the spread of terrorism.
Iran has been designated a state sponsor of terrorism since January 1984, as Tehran has supported terrorism through the use of its military and various intelligence apparatuses.
In April of last year, the United States designated the Revolutionary Guard Corps and its Quds Force as a foreign terrorist organization, the first time that Washington took this step against a state-affiliated organization.
The designation of the Revolutionary Guard as a foreign terrorist organization highlights that the Iranian regime is outlawed and uses terrorism as the main tool to manage state affairs.
Iran, through the Quds Force and the Ministry of Security and Intelligence, carried out numerous attacks and assassinations, and supported terrorist plots in the Middle East, Europe, Asia and other countries around the world.
The Iranian authorities also welcomed numerous terrorist groups on their territory and provided their members with the support, training and weapons necessary to carry out terrorist operations.
Furthermore, Tehran took advantage of diplomatic cover to carry out assassinations and terrorist attacks, including a plot to detonate an explosive device at a political rally outside Paris in July 2018.
Danish authorities succeeded in thwarting the attempt to assassinate a prominent Iranian dissident in October of the same year, and in November 2019, Iranian agents assassinated a dissident Iranian journalist living in Turkey.
Unlike non-state terrorist groups such as ISIS and Al Qaeda, Iran has mastered the art of denial and prioritizes concealing its role in terrorist activities through the use of powers, but nonetheless, the evidence remains clear that it is a state sponsor of terrorism.
Among the groups that receive support from Iran, the report mentions the Lebanese Hezbollah, Hamas and Islamic Jihad in the Palestinian territories, Kataib Hezbollah and Asa’ib Ahl al-Haq in Iraq, and the Ashtar Brigades in Bahrain.
The Iranian regime has facilitated the travel of senior leaders of some of these groups to Iran, often under the pretext of religious education.
The Lebanese Hezbollah is Iran’s strongest terror partner, providing it with massive direct financial support over the past decade, estimated at $ 700 million annually.
The party carried out various terrorist attacks and plots on five continents and included many countries, including Bulgaria, Azerbaijan, Cyprus, Guinea, Kuwait, Nigeria, Panama, Peru, Thailand, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
In addition to its support of representatives and terrorist groups abroad, Tehran also provides a safe haven for terrorists at home, as many al-Qaeda leaders reside within Iran’s borders and have worked from there to transfer funds and fighters. South Asia and Syria.
In 2016, the Treasury Department imposed sanctions on three of Iran’s top al Qaeda leaders.