US: Iran was a leader in state-sponsored terrorism in 2023

The U.S. State Department, in its annual report on terrorism, identified the Islamic Republic of Iran as "a leader in state-sponsored terrorism in 2023." The report accuses Tehran of being "actively and extensively" involved in terrorist activities both within the United States and globally. It states that the Quds Force of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, designated as a terrorist organization by the U.S. in 2019, is the "primary tool" of the Islamic Republic for nurturing and supporting Iran's terrorist activities abroad. The annual U.S. report on terrorism, covering global events in 2023, also mentions various other groups supported by the Islamic Republic. It notes that Iran continuously supports various "Palestinian terrorist groups," such as Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine – General Command. The U.S. has characterized this support as including the provision of weapon systems, training, and other forms of assistance, adding that Iran's support enabled the extremist group Hamas to plan and execute the attack on Israel on October 7, 2023. However, the report also mentions that there is no evidence to suggest that Iran was aware of the attack prior to its occurrence. The extremist group Hamas is designated as a terrorist organization by the U.S. and the European Union. The U.S. State Department also accused the Islamic Republic of using its supported groups to create regional instability following Hamas's attacks on Israel on October 7. The report states that Iranian-aligned militia groups active in Syria and Iraq intensified their attacks on U.S. facilities, while the Houthis in Yemen also carried out attacks on commercial shipping that disrupted global trade. The annual report also noted that the Iranian government consistently targets "opponents and other perceived enemies" located abroad. It mentions that in 2023, the U.S. Department of Justice issued an indictment charging three individuals linked to Iran with a conspiracy to assassinate an Iranian dissident in New York City. In another case in 2023, a court in the UK found a man guilty of attempting to gather information for terrorist purposes against the London-based Iran International news network. The U.S. State Department's report also noted that in recent years, Albania, Belgium, and the Netherlands have arrested, convicted, or expelled Iranian government officials involved in various terrorist plots within their territories. The report emphasized that Iran's "ongoing and significant role in global terrorism" poses a serious threat to international peace and security and has encouraged other countries to take actions to limit the Islamic Republic's support for these destabilizing activities.