Qasem Soleimani's Statements on Iran's Military Aid to Iraq and Shia Militias

Qasem Soleimani, the commander of the Quds Force of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, referred to the role of the Islamic Republic in supporting Shia in Iraq in their fight against the Islamic State group, stating that the Iranian Ministry of Defense produced and sent weapons to Iraq in three shifts. According to IRNA, Soleimani, speaking at the memorial for the 40th day since the death of Shaban Nasiri, asked: 'What diplomacy can accomplish the work of individuals like Shaban Nasiri, Hamid Taghavi, Hossein Hamadani, and hundreds of other Iranians who were killed in Iraq and Syria?' Shaban Nasiri was a commander during the Iran-Iraq War who was killed in recent operations in Mosul. The Quds Force commander emphasized: 'Sometimes we take diplomatic actions, which is a good thing and is emphasized in the world, but some knots and solving certain problems, especially where significant issues exist, cannot be solved only by diplomacy.' Soleimani went on to mention the rapid advance of the Islamic State, ISIS, in Iraq in 2014. He discussed the formation of 'Hashd al-Shaabi' to confront the Islamic State and the assistance provided by the Islamic Republic to this group, stating that Ali Khamenei, the leader of Iran, 'has always emphasized that the Islamic Republic of Iran should not withhold any assistance from the people of Iraq, and based on this, the Iranian Ministry of Defense produced weapons for Iraq in three shifts and sent them there.' He added: 'The commander of Hashd al-Shaabi was able to take the key to the warehouses of the Islamic Republic's weapons for his own use, because the Islamic Republic of Iran was not like others who would take the money of the Iraqi people and not provide them with weapons in times of emergency; in this air force of the IRGC, the only squadron of Sukhoi fighters was made available to this country immediately upon Iraq's request, and thousands of tons of weapons were provided by the Islamic Republic.' The Quds Force commander further praised the 'valuable role of Hezbollah Lebanon in the battles of Iraq and Syria.' While Qasem Soleimani spoke of the Republic's role in supporting Shia in Iraq and Bashar al-Assad in Syria, Western and regional countries accuse Iran of fueling ethnic tensions in the region. Previously, critics within Iran have severely criticized Soleimani's and the Quds Force's actions in the region, attributing the emergence of ISIS to 'Soleimani's mismanagement.' Political critic Mehdi Khazali stated in a video last year: 'If Qasem Soleimani had not existed, there would be no ISIS in Syria now.' It is reported that 15 groups of Shia militias supported by Iran are fighting in Syria and Iraq. Members of these militia groups, which the Quds Force collaborates with Hezbollah Lebanon in training and organizing, consist of a mix of Shia from Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iraq, Syria, and Lebanon.