US: Iran Remains the World's Largest State Sponsor of Terrorism

The US Department of State, in its annual report on the state of 'global terrorism', identified the Islamic Republic of Iran as 'the largest state sponsor of terrorism in the world' for the year 2015. According to the Associated Press, the report published on Thursday, June 3, states that Iran is recognized as the largest state sponsor of terrorism globally through 'providing financial assistance and training to extremist groups such as Hezbollah in Lebanon.' The US Department of State also cited the continued use of the Quds Force of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps to 'implement the Islamic Republic's foreign policy objectives' that 'cause instability throughout the Middle East' as another reason for Iran's top position on this list. Additionally, support for Bashar al-Assad's government in Syria was mentioned as another reason for Iran's leading position in the list of state sponsors of terrorism in 2015. The US Department of State emphasized that, besides financially supporting and equipping Hezbollah and the Assad government, Iran is responsible for supplying equipment and weapons to militias in Bahrain and continues to assist anti-Israeli groups like Hamas. The Islamic Republic of Iran is also suspected of supporting the Houthi Shiite militants in Yemen, although this connection was not mentioned in the recent US Department of State report. Syria and Sudan follow Iran on the list of state sponsors of terrorism, although Cuba has been removed from this list following a relative normalization of relations between Washington and Havana. While the US still considers Iran the largest state sponsor of terrorism in 2015, it managed to reach a final agreement on the controversial nuclear program of the Islamic Republic alongside other global powers, which led to a reduction in international sanctions against Iran. Nevertheless, US sanctions related to terrorism support and human rights violations against Iran remain in place. On the other hand, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the leader of the Islamic Republic, refers to the US as a 'sponsor of terrorism.' The report also indicated that terrorist attacks globally decreased by '13 percent' in 2015. This is the first time since 2012 that the US Department of State reports a decrease in the global rate of terrorist attacks. The report also names the Islamic State (ISIS) as the largest terrorist threat in the world. The US Department of State identified Afghanistan, Iraq, Pakistan, the Sinai region, Somalia, Syria, Libya, southern Philippines, Yemen, and parts of Colombia and Venezuela as 'safe havens for terrorism' worldwide.