Iran Special Action Group: $16 Billion Cost of the Islamic Republic in Syria, Iraq, and Yemen

The Iran Special Action Group at the U.S. State Department announced in a report that the Islamic Republic has spent $16 billion since 2012 to support Bashar al-Assad and its allied groups in Yemen and Iraq. The announcement of the report was made by Mike Pompeo, the U.S. Secretary of State, on Twitter. He wrote: "While the people of Iran struggle to survive, the Iranian regime has wasted $16 billion since 2012 to help Assad and support its other partners in Syria, Iraq, and Yemen." The report highlights the methods used by the Islamic Republic to transfer money to its supported groups and the sanctions imposed on these companies and financial institutions by the U.S. According to the report, the Quds Force of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has used companies in the United Arab Emirates and the Al-Bilad Islamic Bank in Iraq for its financial transactions. Bloomberg reported that Tehran spends about $6 billion annually to support Assad's government, with some estimates indicating this assistance could reach up to $15 billion. Iran has provided significant financial assistance to Syria in recent years, including the establishment of two credit lines of $1 billion and $3.6 billion for exporting goods to the country. Iran and Syria have also signed multiple agreements for investment in oil, electricity, energy, and other industrial sectors. Previously, Yahya Rahim Safavi, a senior military advisor to the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic, stated that Iran should recover the costs incurred in Syria through "oil, gas, and phosphate mines" in that country. The Iran Special Action Group has also accused the Islamic Republic of allowing members of al-Qaeda to reside in Iran, enabling them to transfer personnel and money to Syria and South Asia. The report lists actions by the Islamic Republic that it labels as "terroristic," including the recent arrest of an Iranian diplomat on charges of attempting to bomb a meeting of the Mojahedin-e Khalq Organization and the arrest of 10 individuals in Germany on charges of espionage for the IRGC. The connections between the family of Osama bin Laden, the deceased leader of al-Qaeda, and Iran have frequently been mentioned in the news, and the CIA published documents regarding this in November of last year. Concerns about Iran's missile program, cyber threats, human rights issues, and environmental conditions are other sections of the Iran Special Action Group's report. The group was formed after the U.S. withdrawal from the Vienna nuclear agreement and the re-imposition of sanctions against Iran. The Iranian Foreign Minister has accused the U.S. of intending to "overthrow" the Islamic Republic by forming this group.