Date post: | 07-Aug-2018 |
Category: |
Documents |
Upload: | center-for-american-progress |
View: | 214 times |
Download: | 0 times |
8202019 Countering Iranrsquos Destabilizing Actions in the Middle East
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullcountering-irans-destabilizing-actions-in-the-middle-east 17
1 Center for American Progress | Countering Iranrsquos Destabilizing Actions in the Middle East
Countering Iranrsquos Destabilizing
Actions in the Middle EastBy Peter Juul Brian Katulis and Shlomo Brom July 17 2015
Te newly negoiaed nuclear agreemen wih Iran sill has o be reviewed by Congress
bu i offers he Unied Saes and is allies he hisoric opporuniy o resrain ehranrsquos
nuclear program and preven he counry rom acquiring a nuclear weapon or a leas
he nex decade1 Tis agreemen is vial o US naional securiy bu i is imporan
o recognize ha i has a specific purpose reining in Iranrsquos nuclear program I doesno address he res o Iranrsquos malicious inernaional behavior simply because i is no
inended o do so
Accordingly he Unied Saes and is close parners in he Middle Eas and Europe should
ake acive seps o crack down on Iranrsquos abiliy o omen chaos in he region991252and he
Obama adminisraion should lead he way Te nuclear agreemen was a necessary sep
o mos effecively block Iranrsquos pahways o a nuclear weapon bu i is unlikely o change
Iranrsquos bad behavior991252which in urn is causing grea apprehension among he Unied
Saesrsquo allies in he region By working ogeher wih a coheren sraegy o couner Iranian
subversion he Unied Saes and is parners are capable o meeing his challenge
Iranrsquos destabilizing behavior
Iranrsquos subversion and proxy nework is vas sreching geographically rom Lain
America o Aghanisan2 Tis nework conducs errorism organizes and suppors
secarian miliias and generally omens insabiliy rom Argenina o Iraq Tese acivi-
ies do no cos ehran much financially991252suppor or boh Hezbollah and he Assad
regime in Syria is esimaed o have cos Iran less han $10 billion las year3991252bu hey
are sufficien o sow chaos in he Middle Eas and beyond
ehran has hree main organizaions hrough which i spreads regional insabiliy and
secarian srie he Islamic Revoluionary Guard Corps991252Quds Force or IRGC-QF
he Iranian Minisry o Inelligence and Securiy and Lebanese Hezbollah4 Tough he
US Sae Deparmen idenifies he Quds Force as ldquohe regimersquos primary mechanism
or culivaing and supporing erroriss abroadrdquo5 all hree organizaions work ogeher
o urher Iranian ineress in he Middle Eas
8202019 Countering Iranrsquos Destabilizing Actions in the Middle East
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullcountering-irans-destabilizing-actions-in-the-middle-east 27
2 Center for American Progress | Countering Iranrsquos Destabilizing Actions in the Middle East
ehranrsquos fingerprins can be seen on virually all o he regionrsquos conflics I supplies mis-
siles and rockes o Hezbollah in Lebanon and Hamas in he Palesinian erriories which
are hen fired a Israel Iran supplies he Assad regime wih money Iranian roops and a
supply o oreign Shia miliiamen and backs secarian miliias in Iraq ha undermine he
auhoriy o he governmen in Baghdad More recenly ehran has been accused o sup-
plying arms o he Houhi rebels who have seized conrol o much o Yemen 6
In all Iran has creaed an impressive nework o omen insabiliy across he Middle
Eas ehran backs milian groups rom Palesine o Iraq and Lebanon o Yemen wih
arms raining and unds Tis suppor invariably makes hese milian groups more
effecive and worsens exising conflics991252ofen by sharpening heir secarian edges
Counering his web o Iranian proxies991252and he chaos i creaes991252remains a core
American ineres in he Middle Eas
Policy options
Tere are no silver bulles o bring down Iranrsquos nework o regional insabiliy
Counering Iranrsquos malignan regional behavior will insead require a series o acions
rom boh he Unied Saes and is Middle Easern parners Policymakers should be
modes in heir expecaions Te overall goal o he Unied Saes and is regional par-
ners should be o degrade and disrup Iranrsquos effor o desabilize he Middle Eas raher
han deea i ourigh
Seps he Unied Saes and is regional parners can ake o couner Iranian meddling in
he Middle Eas include he ollowing recommendaions
Impose arms embargoes against Iranian proxies
In April he UN Securiy Council imposed an arms embargo agains he Iranian-
backed Houhi rebels in Yemen7 giving inernaional legiimacy o effors by he Unied
Saes and he Saudi-led coaliion o inerdic Iranian vessels suspeced o errying arms
o Yemen Similar arms embargoes could be imposed on oher Iranian proxies such as
Hezbollah Hamas and he Shia miliias fighing on behal o he Assad regime Should
he UN Securiy Council pass arms embargoes agains Iranian proxies he Unied
Saes and is regional parners would have he auhoriy and legiimacy o inercep
suspeced Iranian arms shipmens beore hey reach heir desinaions I may prove
impossible or he UN Securiy Council o approve all o hese embargoes bu he
Unied Saes could also build a mulinaional coaliion effor o ry o inerdic Iranian
weapons ransers
8202019 Countering Iranrsquos Destabilizing Actions in the Middle East
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullcountering-irans-destabilizing-actions-in-the-middle-east 37
3 Center for American Progress | Countering Iranrsquos Destabilizing Actions in the Middle East
Robustly implement US-GCC summit agreements
Following he May 2015 Camp David summi beween he Unied Saes and Gul
Cooperaion Council or GCC saes he Whie House published an annex o he
summirsquos join saemen oulining areas o enhanced securiy cooperaion beween he
Unied Saes and he GCC8 Many o hese areas o cooperaion are relevan o effors
o couner Iranrsquos desrucive regional influence
Cybersecurity
US regional parners have already been he vicims o Iranian cyberatacks mos
noably a 2012 hack agains Saudi Aramco he Saudi sae oil company9 Te Unied
Saes already has cybersecuriy advisors embedded in relevan Saudi governmen
offices10 Te summi saemen annex calls on he Unied Saes o provide GCC saes
wih addiional cybersecuriy aid Te Unied Saes should push o insiuionalize
he cybersecuriy arrangemens oulined in he annex wih a view oward proecing
regional neworks agains Iranian cyberatacks Tis cybersecuriy orum should also be
exended o include regional parners beyond he GCC such as Jordan
Missile defense
A Camp David he GCC saes agreed o deepen heir cooperaion on ballisic missile
deense and he Unied Saes agreed o provide echnical assisance or he creaion o
a Gul ballisic missile early warning sysem Te Unied Saes should jump-sar his
process and accelerae improvemens o he GCCrsquos ballisic missile deense ineroper-
abiliy by expanding sales o he erminal High Aliude Area Deense or HAAD mis-
sile deense sysem beyond he Unied Arab Emiraes and Oman11 An inegraed Gul
missile deense sysem would also benefi rom he Inegraed Batle Command Sysem
or IBCS which will inegrae he separae elemens o he missile deense sysem andincrease heir effeciveness12 A robus Gul missile deense sysem can boh hedge
agains he Iranian ballisic missile hrea and serve as a symbol o Gul poliical uniy
Maritime security
Te GCC saes also agreed o ake greaer seps o share inormaion and inerdic
illici arms smuggling while he Unied Saes agreed o provide raining and aid o he
GCC on mariime securiy issues Tese seps should be aken as soon as possible wih
a primary ocus on prohibiing il lici Iranian arms shipmens o proxies Oher coun-
ries991252boh GCC neighbors and long-ime US allies rom ouside he region991252should
be inegraed ino effors o increase GCC mariime securiy capabiliies
8202019 Countering Iranrsquos Destabilizing Actions in the Middle East
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullcountering-irans-destabilizing-actions-in-the-middle-east 47
4 Center for American Progress | Countering Iranrsquos Destabilizing Actions in the Middle East
Special operations training
Te Unied Saes pledged o examine opions o increase special operaions raining
wih is GCC parners Many GCC saes are building heir special operaions capabili-
ies rom scrach so a concered effor o rain and equip hese orces in GCC counries
will be required Bu his effor should avoid he creaion o a GCC equivalen o he
Quds Force Te las hing he Middle Eas needs is anoher sae-sponsored nework o
highly secarian proxy orces Insead American effors should concenrae on praci-cal skills991252such as conducing raids similar o he May 2015 operaion ha killed a
key Islamic Sae o Iraq and al-Sham or ISIS financier991252and ineroperabiliy wih
American special operaions orces13
Establish a strategic framework with Israel to counter Iran
Troughou he negoiaions process wih Iran Israel and he Unied Saes have missed
opporuniies o esablish a pos-agreemen sraegic ramework o couner Iranrsquos
regional influence because o he ricion caused by major disagreemens on he man-agemen o he negoiaions Now ha an agreemen has been reached and is likely o
move orward his ailure will become waer under he bridge Alhough i will be polii-
cally difficul he Unied Saes and Israel should come o a sraegic agreemen similar
o he one reached beween he Unied Saes and GCC saes a Camp David Tis
ramework need no be hashed ou a a high-level summi bu can insead be worked ou
by American and Israeli diplomas and deense officials I should cover he same areas
as he US-GCC summi communiqueacute and annex oulining he seps boh Israel and
he Unied Saes will ake o couner Iranrsquos negaive regional influence
As par o his ramework he Unied Saes should agree o provide Israel wih addi-ional capabiliies necessary o end off Iranian proxies Tese capabiliies991252such as
missile and rocke deense sysems similar o he Iron Dome991252should be unded as an
addiion o he curren $3 billion per year in miliary assisance Israel receives rom he
Unied Saes14
Bar IRGC-linked companies from regional air- and seaports
Regional parners can preven aircraf and ships rom IRGC-linked companies rom
enering heir erriories Tese companies serve as he logisical enablers o he IRGC
ransporing personnel weapons and cash in suppor o Iranian proxies around he
region While many IRGC-linked companies have been sancioned by he Unied
Saes15 hey sill operae in he airspace and waers o Americarsquos regional parners
For insance Mahan Air991252designaed as an IRGC enabler by he US reasury
Deparmen991252liss six GCC desinaions on is websie16 Regional parners paricu-
8202019 Countering Iranrsquos Destabilizing Actions in the Middle East
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullcountering-irans-destabilizing-actions-in-the-middle-east 57
5 Center for American Progress | Countering Iranrsquos Destabilizing Actions in the Middle East
larly hose where IRGC-ied companies operae can crack down on hese enablers and
resric heir regional reedom o movemen Barring hese companies rom regional
airpors and seapors would hinder he IRGCrsquos abiliy o move personnel equipmen
and money around he region
Establish intelligence-sharing arrangements
ogeher he Unied Saes and is regional parners should esablish an inelligence
usion cell ocused on Iranrsquos suppor or proxies and is oher desabilizing behavior
in he region Te main goal o his cell should be o develop a unified picure o Iranrsquos
disrupive regional aciviies991252such as omening insabiliy inside GCC saes and
oher American regional parners991252o ensure ha he Unied Saes and is regional
parners all have he same overall picure o hese aciviies An expressed commimen
o counering hese aspecs o Iranrsquos regional policy would go along way oward easing
GCC apprehension over he poenial effecs o he nuclear deal As a firs prioriy his
cell should ocus on mapping he logisical neworks ha allow Iran o suppor proxiesaround he region and deermine heir weak spos
Support regional military action against Iranrsquos proxies and logistics network
when necessary
When necessary he Unied Saes should offer suppor o regional miliary acion
agains Iranian proxies and componens o he logisics nework ha suppors hem
such as Israeli srikes agains Hezbollah arms shipmens in Syria17 Regional parners
should ake he bulk o he risk in deploying orces on he ground while he UniedSaes should provide key suppor such as ransporaion and aerial supervision Tese
raids should be rare and only conduced on muual agreemen when based on solid
inelligence and afer a ull risk assessmen
Conclusion
Wih or wihou a nuclear agreemen Iran will coninue o presen a severe hrea o he
sabiliy and securiy o he Middle Eas991252primarily hrough is maerial and financial
suppor o proxies across he region Te Unied Saes and is regional parners will
conron his problem regardless and already should be preparing o couner Iran and is
proxies While i is unlikely ha he policies oulined here will ully deea Iranrsquos effors
in he region hey can consrain hose effors and impose higher coss on ehran han i
has previously paid
8202019 Countering Iranrsquos Destabilizing Actions in the Middle East
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullcountering-irans-destabilizing-actions-in-the-middle-east 67
6 Center for American Progress | Countering Iranrsquos Destabilizing Actions in the Middle East
Equally imporan counering Iranrsquos policy o regional desabilizaion offers he oppor-
uniy or he Unied Saes and is regional parners991252rom Israel o he GCC991252o pull
closer ogeher afer he srain caused by nuclear negoiaions Raher han indulging in
unconsrucive behavior he Unied Saes and is parners can engage in a consrucive
effor o hal991252or a leas slow down991252Iranrsquos desrucive acions hroughou he Middle
Eas Vigorous acion o consrain Iranrsquos malign regional behavior offers he Unied
Saes and is regional parners a resh sar991252one hey should ake
Peter Juul is a Policy Analyst at the Center for American Progress Brian Katulis is a Senior
Fellow at the Center Shlomo Brom is a Visiting Fellow at the Center and previously served as
brigadier general in the Israel Defense Forces
8202019 Countering Iranrsquos Destabilizing Actions in the Middle East
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullcountering-irans-destabilizing-actions-in-the-middle-east 77
7 Center for American Progress | Countering Iranrsquos Destabilizing Actions in the Middle East
Endnotes
1 European Union ldquoJoint Comprehensive Plan of Actionrdquo(2015) available at httpeeaseuropaeustatements-eeasdocsiran_agreementiran_joint-comprehensive-plan-of-action_enpdf
2 Scott Modell and David Asher ldquoPushback Counteringthe Iran Action Networkrdquo (Washington Center for a NewAmerican Security 2013) available at httpwwwcnasorg
sitesdefaultfilespublications-pdfCNAS_Pushback_Mod-ellAsher_0pdf
3 US Treasury Department National Terrorist Financing Risk Assessment 2015(2015) pp 17ndash18 Matthew Levitt andKelsey Segawa ldquoFindings from the State DepartmentrsquosAnnual Terrorism Report (Part 1) Hezbollah and Iranrdquo The Washington Institute for Near East Policy June 192015 available at httpwwwwashingtoninstituteorgpolicy-analysisviewfindings-from-the-state-departments-annual-terrorism-report-part-1-hezbolla Eli Lake ldquoIranSpends Billions to Prop Up Assadrdquo Bloomberg View June9 2015 available at httpwwwbloombergviewcomarticles2015-06-09iran-spends-billions-to-prop-up-assad
4 Modell and Asher ldquoPushbackrdquo pp 9ndash12
5 US State Department Country Reports on Terrorism 2014 (2015) Chapter 3 available at httpwwwstategovjctrlscrt2014239410htm
6 Jeffrey White ldquoA War Like No Other Israel vs Hezbollah in2015rdquo The Washington Institute for Near East Policy January29 2015 available at httpwwwwashingtoninstituteorgpolicy-analysisviewa-war-like-no-other-israel-vs-hezbol-lah-in-2015 Adam Entous Charles Levinson and Julian EBarnes ldquoHezbollah Upgrades Missile Threat to IsraelrdquoTheWall Street Journal January 2 2014 available at httpwwwwsjcomarticlesSB10001424052702304361604579290613920542386 Dan De Luce ldquoSyrian War Takes Rising Toll onHezbollahrdquo Foreign Policy July 9 2015 available at httpforeignpolicycom20150709syrian-war-takes-rising-toll-on-hezbollah J Dana Stuster ldquoThe Limits of Iranrsquos RegionalAmbitionsrdquo (Washington National Security Network2015) p 3 available at httpnsnetworkorgcmsassetsuploads201507StusterLimitsIransRegionalAmbitionspdf Philip Smyth ldquoThe Shiite Jihad in Syria and Its RegionalEffectsrdquo (Washington The Washington Institute for Near EastPolicy 2015) available at httpswwwwashingtoninstituteorguploadsDocumentspubsPolicyFocus138-v3pdf John
Ismay ldquoThe Most Lethal Weapons Americ ans Faced in IraqrdquoNew York Times At War Blog October 18 2013 availableat httpatwarblogsnytimescom20131018the-most-lethal-weapon-americans-faced-in-iraq Susannah GeorgeldquoBreaking Badrrdquo Foreign Policy November 6 2014 availableat httpforeignpolicycom20141106breaking-badrKirk H Sowell ldquoAfter Ramadi Militias in the LeadrdquoSadaJuly 1 2015 available at httpcarnegieendowmentorgsada20150701after-ramadi-militias-in-leadibb8 StuartWiner ldquoIran boasts of rocket aid to Palestinians Hezbollahrdquo The Times of Israel February 3 2015 available at httpwwwtimesofisraelcomiran-boasts-of-rocket-aid-to-pales-tinians-hezbollah Yara Bayoumy and Mohammed GhobarildquoIranian support seen as crucial for Yemenrsquos Houthisrdquo Re-uters December 15 2014 available at httpwwwreuterscomarticle20141215us-yemen-houthis-iran-insight-idUSKBN0JT17A20141215
7 Somini Sengupta ldquoUN Security Council Bans Sales of Armsto Houthi Fighters in Yemenrdquo The New York Times April 142015 available at httpwwwnytimescom20150415
worldmiddleeastyemen-houthis-saudi-airstrikes-arms-embargohtml
8 The White House ldquoAnnex to US-Gulf Cooperation CouncilCamp David Joint Statementrdquo Press release May 14 2015available at httpswwwwhitehousegovthe-press-of-fice20150514annex-us-gulf-cooperation-council-camp-david-joint-statement
9 Nicole Perlroth ldquoIn Cyberattack on Saudi Firm US Sees IranFiring Backrdquo The New York Times October 23 2012 availableat httpwwwnytimescom20121024businessglobalcyberattack-on-saudi-oil-firm-disquiets-ushtml
10 Christopher M Blanchard ldquoSaudi Arabia Backgroundand US Relationsrdquo (Washington Congressional ResearchService 2015) p 13 available at httpfasorgsgpcrsmid-eastRL33533pdf
11 Andrea Shalal-Esa ldquoUS clears sale of Lockheed missiledefense system to UAE Qatarrdquo Reuters November 6 2012available at httpwwwreuterscomarticle20121106us-lockheed-missiles-mideast-idUSBRE8A507J20121106 United Press International ldquoOman to buy $21B Raytheonmissile systemrdquo May 21 2013 available at httpwwwupicomBusiness_NewsSecurity-Industry20130521Oman-to-buy-21B-Raytheon-missile-system72381369166633 Jeremy Binnie ldquoIDEX 2015 Saudi Qatari THAAD contracts inthe pipelinerdquo IHS Janersquos Defence Weekly February 24 2015available at httpwwwjanescomarticle49344idex-2015-saudi-qatari-thaad-contracts-in-the-pipeline
12 Richard Tomkins ldquoNorthroprsquos battle command systembrings down ballistic missile targetrdquo United Press Inter-national May 28 2015 available at httpwwwupicomBusiness_NewsSecurity-Industry20150528Northrops-battle-command-system-brings-down-ballistic-missile-
target7741432840655
13 Barbara Starr Laura Smith-Spark and Ray Sanchez ldquoAbuSayyaf key ISIS figure in Syria killed in US raidrdquo CNN May17 2015 available at httpwwwcnncom20150516mid-dleeastsyria-isis-us-raid
14 Julie Hirschfield Davis and Matthew Rosenberg ldquoUS Offersto Help Israel Bolster Defenses Yet Iran Nuclear Deal LeavesUneasy Allyrdquo The New York Times July 15 2015 available athttpwwwnytimescom20150716worldmiddleeastus-offers-to-help-israel-bolster-defenses-yet-nuclear-deal-leaves-ally-uneasyhtml
15 Jay Solomon ldquoUS Sanctions Triggered by Plane Sale toIranrsquos Mahan Airrdquo The Wall Street Journal May 21 2015available at httpwwwwsjcomarticlesu-s-sanctions-triggered-by-plane-sale-to-irans-mahan-air-1432250073 Rick Gladstone ldquoSales to Mahan Air Blacklisted by US HangOver Iran Talksrdquo The New York Times June 9 2015 available
at httpwwwnytimescom20150610worldmiddleeastsales-to-mahan-air-blacklisted-by-us-hang-over-iran-talkshtml US Treasury Department ldquoTreasury AnnouncesNew Sanctions Against Iranrdquo Press release May 31 2013available at httpwwwtreasurygovpress-centerpress-releasesPagesjl1965aspx US Treasury DepartmentldquoTreasury Designates Iranian Commercial Airline Linked toIranrsquos Support for Terrorismrdquo Press release October 12 2011available at httpwwwtreasurygovpress-centerpress-releasesPagestg1322aspx
16 US Treasury Department ldquoTreasury Designates IranianCommercial Airline Linked to Iranrsquos Support for TerrorismrdquoMahan Air ldquoOur Route Networkrdquo available at httpwwwmahanaeroendestinationsroute-network (last accessedJuly 2015)
17 Jack Khoury Barak Ravid and Gili Cohen ldquoReport Israelstrikes Syrian military bases Hezbollah targets near Syria-Lebanon borderrdquo Haaretz April 25 2015 available at httpwwwhaaretzcomnewsdiplomacy-defense1653448
8202019 Countering Iranrsquos Destabilizing Actions in the Middle East
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullcountering-irans-destabilizing-actions-in-the-middle-east 27
2 Center for American Progress | Countering Iranrsquos Destabilizing Actions in the Middle East
ehranrsquos fingerprins can be seen on virually all o he regionrsquos conflics I supplies mis-
siles and rockes o Hezbollah in Lebanon and Hamas in he Palesinian erriories which
are hen fired a Israel Iran supplies he Assad regime wih money Iranian roops and a
supply o oreign Shia miliiamen and backs secarian miliias in Iraq ha undermine he
auhoriy o he governmen in Baghdad More recenly ehran has been accused o sup-
plying arms o he Houhi rebels who have seized conrol o much o Yemen 6
In all Iran has creaed an impressive nework o omen insabiliy across he Middle
Eas ehran backs milian groups rom Palesine o Iraq and Lebanon o Yemen wih
arms raining and unds Tis suppor invariably makes hese milian groups more
effecive and worsens exising conflics991252ofen by sharpening heir secarian edges
Counering his web o Iranian proxies991252and he chaos i creaes991252remains a core
American ineres in he Middle Eas
Policy options
Tere are no silver bulles o bring down Iranrsquos nework o regional insabiliy
Counering Iranrsquos malignan regional behavior will insead require a series o acions
rom boh he Unied Saes and is Middle Easern parners Policymakers should be
modes in heir expecaions Te overall goal o he Unied Saes and is regional par-
ners should be o degrade and disrup Iranrsquos effor o desabilize he Middle Eas raher
han deea i ourigh
Seps he Unied Saes and is regional parners can ake o couner Iranian meddling in
he Middle Eas include he ollowing recommendaions
Impose arms embargoes against Iranian proxies
In April he UN Securiy Council imposed an arms embargo agains he Iranian-
backed Houhi rebels in Yemen7 giving inernaional legiimacy o effors by he Unied
Saes and he Saudi-led coaliion o inerdic Iranian vessels suspeced o errying arms
o Yemen Similar arms embargoes could be imposed on oher Iranian proxies such as
Hezbollah Hamas and he Shia miliias fighing on behal o he Assad regime Should
he UN Securiy Council pass arms embargoes agains Iranian proxies he Unied
Saes and is regional parners would have he auhoriy and legiimacy o inercep
suspeced Iranian arms shipmens beore hey reach heir desinaions I may prove
impossible or he UN Securiy Council o approve all o hese embargoes bu he
Unied Saes could also build a mulinaional coaliion effor o ry o inerdic Iranian
weapons ransers
8202019 Countering Iranrsquos Destabilizing Actions in the Middle East
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullcountering-irans-destabilizing-actions-in-the-middle-east 37
3 Center for American Progress | Countering Iranrsquos Destabilizing Actions in the Middle East
Robustly implement US-GCC summit agreements
Following he May 2015 Camp David summi beween he Unied Saes and Gul
Cooperaion Council or GCC saes he Whie House published an annex o he
summirsquos join saemen oulining areas o enhanced securiy cooperaion beween he
Unied Saes and he GCC8 Many o hese areas o cooperaion are relevan o effors
o couner Iranrsquos desrucive regional influence
Cybersecurity
US regional parners have already been he vicims o Iranian cyberatacks mos
noably a 2012 hack agains Saudi Aramco he Saudi sae oil company9 Te Unied
Saes already has cybersecuriy advisors embedded in relevan Saudi governmen
offices10 Te summi saemen annex calls on he Unied Saes o provide GCC saes
wih addiional cybersecuriy aid Te Unied Saes should push o insiuionalize
he cybersecuriy arrangemens oulined in he annex wih a view oward proecing
regional neworks agains Iranian cyberatacks Tis cybersecuriy orum should also be
exended o include regional parners beyond he GCC such as Jordan
Missile defense
A Camp David he GCC saes agreed o deepen heir cooperaion on ballisic missile
deense and he Unied Saes agreed o provide echnical assisance or he creaion o
a Gul ballisic missile early warning sysem Te Unied Saes should jump-sar his
process and accelerae improvemens o he GCCrsquos ballisic missile deense ineroper-
abiliy by expanding sales o he erminal High Aliude Area Deense or HAAD mis-
sile deense sysem beyond he Unied Arab Emiraes and Oman11 An inegraed Gul
missile deense sysem would also benefi rom he Inegraed Batle Command Sysem
or IBCS which will inegrae he separae elemens o he missile deense sysem andincrease heir effeciveness12 A robus Gul missile deense sysem can boh hedge
agains he Iranian ballisic missile hrea and serve as a symbol o Gul poliical uniy
Maritime security
Te GCC saes also agreed o ake greaer seps o share inormaion and inerdic
illici arms smuggling while he Unied Saes agreed o provide raining and aid o he
GCC on mariime securiy issues Tese seps should be aken as soon as possible wih
a primary ocus on prohibiing il lici Iranian arms shipmens o proxies Oher coun-
ries991252boh GCC neighbors and long-ime US allies rom ouside he region991252should
be inegraed ino effors o increase GCC mariime securiy capabiliies
8202019 Countering Iranrsquos Destabilizing Actions in the Middle East
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullcountering-irans-destabilizing-actions-in-the-middle-east 47
4 Center for American Progress | Countering Iranrsquos Destabilizing Actions in the Middle East
Special operations training
Te Unied Saes pledged o examine opions o increase special operaions raining
wih is GCC parners Many GCC saes are building heir special operaions capabili-
ies rom scrach so a concered effor o rain and equip hese orces in GCC counries
will be required Bu his effor should avoid he creaion o a GCC equivalen o he
Quds Force Te las hing he Middle Eas needs is anoher sae-sponsored nework o
highly secarian proxy orces Insead American effors should concenrae on praci-cal skills991252such as conducing raids similar o he May 2015 operaion ha killed a
key Islamic Sae o Iraq and al-Sham or ISIS financier991252and ineroperabiliy wih
American special operaions orces13
Establish a strategic framework with Israel to counter Iran
Troughou he negoiaions process wih Iran Israel and he Unied Saes have missed
opporuniies o esablish a pos-agreemen sraegic ramework o couner Iranrsquos
regional influence because o he ricion caused by major disagreemens on he man-agemen o he negoiaions Now ha an agreemen has been reached and is likely o
move orward his ailure will become waer under he bridge Alhough i will be polii-
cally difficul he Unied Saes and Israel should come o a sraegic agreemen similar
o he one reached beween he Unied Saes and GCC saes a Camp David Tis
ramework need no be hashed ou a a high-level summi bu can insead be worked ou
by American and Israeli diplomas and deense officials I should cover he same areas
as he US-GCC summi communiqueacute and annex oulining he seps boh Israel and
he Unied Saes will ake o couner Iranrsquos negaive regional influence
As par o his ramework he Unied Saes should agree o provide Israel wih addi-ional capabiliies necessary o end off Iranian proxies Tese capabiliies991252such as
missile and rocke deense sysems similar o he Iron Dome991252should be unded as an
addiion o he curren $3 billion per year in miliary assisance Israel receives rom he
Unied Saes14
Bar IRGC-linked companies from regional air- and seaports
Regional parners can preven aircraf and ships rom IRGC-linked companies rom
enering heir erriories Tese companies serve as he logisical enablers o he IRGC
ransporing personnel weapons and cash in suppor o Iranian proxies around he
region While many IRGC-linked companies have been sancioned by he Unied
Saes15 hey sill operae in he airspace and waers o Americarsquos regional parners
For insance Mahan Air991252designaed as an IRGC enabler by he US reasury
Deparmen991252liss six GCC desinaions on is websie16 Regional parners paricu-
8202019 Countering Iranrsquos Destabilizing Actions in the Middle East
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullcountering-irans-destabilizing-actions-in-the-middle-east 57
5 Center for American Progress | Countering Iranrsquos Destabilizing Actions in the Middle East
larly hose where IRGC-ied companies operae can crack down on hese enablers and
resric heir regional reedom o movemen Barring hese companies rom regional
airpors and seapors would hinder he IRGCrsquos abiliy o move personnel equipmen
and money around he region
Establish intelligence-sharing arrangements
ogeher he Unied Saes and is regional parners should esablish an inelligence
usion cell ocused on Iranrsquos suppor or proxies and is oher desabilizing behavior
in he region Te main goal o his cell should be o develop a unified picure o Iranrsquos
disrupive regional aciviies991252such as omening insabiliy inside GCC saes and
oher American regional parners991252o ensure ha he Unied Saes and is regional
parners all have he same overall picure o hese aciviies An expressed commimen
o counering hese aspecs o Iranrsquos regional policy would go along way oward easing
GCC apprehension over he poenial effecs o he nuclear deal As a firs prioriy his
cell should ocus on mapping he logisical neworks ha allow Iran o suppor proxiesaround he region and deermine heir weak spos
Support regional military action against Iranrsquos proxies and logistics network
when necessary
When necessary he Unied Saes should offer suppor o regional miliary acion
agains Iranian proxies and componens o he logisics nework ha suppors hem
such as Israeli srikes agains Hezbollah arms shipmens in Syria17 Regional parners
should ake he bulk o he risk in deploying orces on he ground while he UniedSaes should provide key suppor such as ransporaion and aerial supervision Tese
raids should be rare and only conduced on muual agreemen when based on solid
inelligence and afer a ull risk assessmen
Conclusion
Wih or wihou a nuclear agreemen Iran will coninue o presen a severe hrea o he
sabiliy and securiy o he Middle Eas991252primarily hrough is maerial and financial
suppor o proxies across he region Te Unied Saes and is regional parners will
conron his problem regardless and already should be preparing o couner Iran and is
proxies While i is unlikely ha he policies oulined here will ully deea Iranrsquos effors
in he region hey can consrain hose effors and impose higher coss on ehran han i
has previously paid
8202019 Countering Iranrsquos Destabilizing Actions in the Middle East
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullcountering-irans-destabilizing-actions-in-the-middle-east 67
6 Center for American Progress | Countering Iranrsquos Destabilizing Actions in the Middle East
Equally imporan counering Iranrsquos policy o regional desabilizaion offers he oppor-
uniy or he Unied Saes and is regional parners991252rom Israel o he GCC991252o pull
closer ogeher afer he srain caused by nuclear negoiaions Raher han indulging in
unconsrucive behavior he Unied Saes and is parners can engage in a consrucive
effor o hal991252or a leas slow down991252Iranrsquos desrucive acions hroughou he Middle
Eas Vigorous acion o consrain Iranrsquos malign regional behavior offers he Unied
Saes and is regional parners a resh sar991252one hey should ake
Peter Juul is a Policy Analyst at the Center for American Progress Brian Katulis is a Senior
Fellow at the Center Shlomo Brom is a Visiting Fellow at the Center and previously served as
brigadier general in the Israel Defense Forces
8202019 Countering Iranrsquos Destabilizing Actions in the Middle East
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullcountering-irans-destabilizing-actions-in-the-middle-east 77
7 Center for American Progress | Countering Iranrsquos Destabilizing Actions in the Middle East
Endnotes
1 European Union ldquoJoint Comprehensive Plan of Actionrdquo(2015) available at httpeeaseuropaeustatements-eeasdocsiran_agreementiran_joint-comprehensive-plan-of-action_enpdf
2 Scott Modell and David Asher ldquoPushback Counteringthe Iran Action Networkrdquo (Washington Center for a NewAmerican Security 2013) available at httpwwwcnasorg
sitesdefaultfilespublications-pdfCNAS_Pushback_Mod-ellAsher_0pdf
3 US Treasury Department National Terrorist Financing Risk Assessment 2015(2015) pp 17ndash18 Matthew Levitt andKelsey Segawa ldquoFindings from the State DepartmentrsquosAnnual Terrorism Report (Part 1) Hezbollah and Iranrdquo The Washington Institute for Near East Policy June 192015 available at httpwwwwashingtoninstituteorgpolicy-analysisviewfindings-from-the-state-departments-annual-terrorism-report-part-1-hezbolla Eli Lake ldquoIranSpends Billions to Prop Up Assadrdquo Bloomberg View June9 2015 available at httpwwwbloombergviewcomarticles2015-06-09iran-spends-billions-to-prop-up-assad
4 Modell and Asher ldquoPushbackrdquo pp 9ndash12
5 US State Department Country Reports on Terrorism 2014 (2015) Chapter 3 available at httpwwwstategovjctrlscrt2014239410htm
6 Jeffrey White ldquoA War Like No Other Israel vs Hezbollah in2015rdquo The Washington Institute for Near East Policy January29 2015 available at httpwwwwashingtoninstituteorgpolicy-analysisviewa-war-like-no-other-israel-vs-hezbol-lah-in-2015 Adam Entous Charles Levinson and Julian EBarnes ldquoHezbollah Upgrades Missile Threat to IsraelrdquoTheWall Street Journal January 2 2014 available at httpwwwwsjcomarticlesSB10001424052702304361604579290613920542386 Dan De Luce ldquoSyrian War Takes Rising Toll onHezbollahrdquo Foreign Policy July 9 2015 available at httpforeignpolicycom20150709syrian-war-takes-rising-toll-on-hezbollah J Dana Stuster ldquoThe Limits of Iranrsquos RegionalAmbitionsrdquo (Washington National Security Network2015) p 3 available at httpnsnetworkorgcmsassetsuploads201507StusterLimitsIransRegionalAmbitionspdf Philip Smyth ldquoThe Shiite Jihad in Syria and Its RegionalEffectsrdquo (Washington The Washington Institute for Near EastPolicy 2015) available at httpswwwwashingtoninstituteorguploadsDocumentspubsPolicyFocus138-v3pdf John
Ismay ldquoThe Most Lethal Weapons Americ ans Faced in IraqrdquoNew York Times At War Blog October 18 2013 availableat httpatwarblogsnytimescom20131018the-most-lethal-weapon-americans-faced-in-iraq Susannah GeorgeldquoBreaking Badrrdquo Foreign Policy November 6 2014 availableat httpforeignpolicycom20141106breaking-badrKirk H Sowell ldquoAfter Ramadi Militias in the LeadrdquoSadaJuly 1 2015 available at httpcarnegieendowmentorgsada20150701after-ramadi-militias-in-leadibb8 StuartWiner ldquoIran boasts of rocket aid to Palestinians Hezbollahrdquo The Times of Israel February 3 2015 available at httpwwwtimesofisraelcomiran-boasts-of-rocket-aid-to-pales-tinians-hezbollah Yara Bayoumy and Mohammed GhobarildquoIranian support seen as crucial for Yemenrsquos Houthisrdquo Re-uters December 15 2014 available at httpwwwreuterscomarticle20141215us-yemen-houthis-iran-insight-idUSKBN0JT17A20141215
7 Somini Sengupta ldquoUN Security Council Bans Sales of Armsto Houthi Fighters in Yemenrdquo The New York Times April 142015 available at httpwwwnytimescom20150415
worldmiddleeastyemen-houthis-saudi-airstrikes-arms-embargohtml
8 The White House ldquoAnnex to US-Gulf Cooperation CouncilCamp David Joint Statementrdquo Press release May 14 2015available at httpswwwwhitehousegovthe-press-of-fice20150514annex-us-gulf-cooperation-council-camp-david-joint-statement
9 Nicole Perlroth ldquoIn Cyberattack on Saudi Firm US Sees IranFiring Backrdquo The New York Times October 23 2012 availableat httpwwwnytimescom20121024businessglobalcyberattack-on-saudi-oil-firm-disquiets-ushtml
10 Christopher M Blanchard ldquoSaudi Arabia Backgroundand US Relationsrdquo (Washington Congressional ResearchService 2015) p 13 available at httpfasorgsgpcrsmid-eastRL33533pdf
11 Andrea Shalal-Esa ldquoUS clears sale of Lockheed missiledefense system to UAE Qatarrdquo Reuters November 6 2012available at httpwwwreuterscomarticle20121106us-lockheed-missiles-mideast-idUSBRE8A507J20121106 United Press International ldquoOman to buy $21B Raytheonmissile systemrdquo May 21 2013 available at httpwwwupicomBusiness_NewsSecurity-Industry20130521Oman-to-buy-21B-Raytheon-missile-system72381369166633 Jeremy Binnie ldquoIDEX 2015 Saudi Qatari THAAD contracts inthe pipelinerdquo IHS Janersquos Defence Weekly February 24 2015available at httpwwwjanescomarticle49344idex-2015-saudi-qatari-thaad-contracts-in-the-pipeline
12 Richard Tomkins ldquoNorthroprsquos battle command systembrings down ballistic missile targetrdquo United Press Inter-national May 28 2015 available at httpwwwupicomBusiness_NewsSecurity-Industry20150528Northrops-battle-command-system-brings-down-ballistic-missile-
target7741432840655
13 Barbara Starr Laura Smith-Spark and Ray Sanchez ldquoAbuSayyaf key ISIS figure in Syria killed in US raidrdquo CNN May17 2015 available at httpwwwcnncom20150516mid-dleeastsyria-isis-us-raid
14 Julie Hirschfield Davis and Matthew Rosenberg ldquoUS Offersto Help Israel Bolster Defenses Yet Iran Nuclear Deal LeavesUneasy Allyrdquo The New York Times July 15 2015 available athttpwwwnytimescom20150716worldmiddleeastus-offers-to-help-israel-bolster-defenses-yet-nuclear-deal-leaves-ally-uneasyhtml
15 Jay Solomon ldquoUS Sanctions Triggered by Plane Sale toIranrsquos Mahan Airrdquo The Wall Street Journal May 21 2015available at httpwwwwsjcomarticlesu-s-sanctions-triggered-by-plane-sale-to-irans-mahan-air-1432250073 Rick Gladstone ldquoSales to Mahan Air Blacklisted by US HangOver Iran Talksrdquo The New York Times June 9 2015 available
at httpwwwnytimescom20150610worldmiddleeastsales-to-mahan-air-blacklisted-by-us-hang-over-iran-talkshtml US Treasury Department ldquoTreasury AnnouncesNew Sanctions Against Iranrdquo Press release May 31 2013available at httpwwwtreasurygovpress-centerpress-releasesPagesjl1965aspx US Treasury DepartmentldquoTreasury Designates Iranian Commercial Airline Linked toIranrsquos Support for Terrorismrdquo Press release October 12 2011available at httpwwwtreasurygovpress-centerpress-releasesPagestg1322aspx
16 US Treasury Department ldquoTreasury Designates IranianCommercial Airline Linked to Iranrsquos Support for TerrorismrdquoMahan Air ldquoOur Route Networkrdquo available at httpwwwmahanaeroendestinationsroute-network (last accessedJuly 2015)
17 Jack Khoury Barak Ravid and Gili Cohen ldquoReport Israelstrikes Syrian military bases Hezbollah targets near Syria-Lebanon borderrdquo Haaretz April 25 2015 available at httpwwwhaaretzcomnewsdiplomacy-defense1653448
8202019 Countering Iranrsquos Destabilizing Actions in the Middle East
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullcountering-irans-destabilizing-actions-in-the-middle-east 37
3 Center for American Progress | Countering Iranrsquos Destabilizing Actions in the Middle East
Robustly implement US-GCC summit agreements
Following he May 2015 Camp David summi beween he Unied Saes and Gul
Cooperaion Council or GCC saes he Whie House published an annex o he
summirsquos join saemen oulining areas o enhanced securiy cooperaion beween he
Unied Saes and he GCC8 Many o hese areas o cooperaion are relevan o effors
o couner Iranrsquos desrucive regional influence
Cybersecurity
US regional parners have already been he vicims o Iranian cyberatacks mos
noably a 2012 hack agains Saudi Aramco he Saudi sae oil company9 Te Unied
Saes already has cybersecuriy advisors embedded in relevan Saudi governmen
offices10 Te summi saemen annex calls on he Unied Saes o provide GCC saes
wih addiional cybersecuriy aid Te Unied Saes should push o insiuionalize
he cybersecuriy arrangemens oulined in he annex wih a view oward proecing
regional neworks agains Iranian cyberatacks Tis cybersecuriy orum should also be
exended o include regional parners beyond he GCC such as Jordan
Missile defense
A Camp David he GCC saes agreed o deepen heir cooperaion on ballisic missile
deense and he Unied Saes agreed o provide echnical assisance or he creaion o
a Gul ballisic missile early warning sysem Te Unied Saes should jump-sar his
process and accelerae improvemens o he GCCrsquos ballisic missile deense ineroper-
abiliy by expanding sales o he erminal High Aliude Area Deense or HAAD mis-
sile deense sysem beyond he Unied Arab Emiraes and Oman11 An inegraed Gul
missile deense sysem would also benefi rom he Inegraed Batle Command Sysem
or IBCS which will inegrae he separae elemens o he missile deense sysem andincrease heir effeciveness12 A robus Gul missile deense sysem can boh hedge
agains he Iranian ballisic missile hrea and serve as a symbol o Gul poliical uniy
Maritime security
Te GCC saes also agreed o ake greaer seps o share inormaion and inerdic
illici arms smuggling while he Unied Saes agreed o provide raining and aid o he
GCC on mariime securiy issues Tese seps should be aken as soon as possible wih
a primary ocus on prohibiing il lici Iranian arms shipmens o proxies Oher coun-
ries991252boh GCC neighbors and long-ime US allies rom ouside he region991252should
be inegraed ino effors o increase GCC mariime securiy capabiliies
8202019 Countering Iranrsquos Destabilizing Actions in the Middle East
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullcountering-irans-destabilizing-actions-in-the-middle-east 47
4 Center for American Progress | Countering Iranrsquos Destabilizing Actions in the Middle East
Special operations training
Te Unied Saes pledged o examine opions o increase special operaions raining
wih is GCC parners Many GCC saes are building heir special operaions capabili-
ies rom scrach so a concered effor o rain and equip hese orces in GCC counries
will be required Bu his effor should avoid he creaion o a GCC equivalen o he
Quds Force Te las hing he Middle Eas needs is anoher sae-sponsored nework o
highly secarian proxy orces Insead American effors should concenrae on praci-cal skills991252such as conducing raids similar o he May 2015 operaion ha killed a
key Islamic Sae o Iraq and al-Sham or ISIS financier991252and ineroperabiliy wih
American special operaions orces13
Establish a strategic framework with Israel to counter Iran
Troughou he negoiaions process wih Iran Israel and he Unied Saes have missed
opporuniies o esablish a pos-agreemen sraegic ramework o couner Iranrsquos
regional influence because o he ricion caused by major disagreemens on he man-agemen o he negoiaions Now ha an agreemen has been reached and is likely o
move orward his ailure will become waer under he bridge Alhough i will be polii-
cally difficul he Unied Saes and Israel should come o a sraegic agreemen similar
o he one reached beween he Unied Saes and GCC saes a Camp David Tis
ramework need no be hashed ou a a high-level summi bu can insead be worked ou
by American and Israeli diplomas and deense officials I should cover he same areas
as he US-GCC summi communiqueacute and annex oulining he seps boh Israel and
he Unied Saes will ake o couner Iranrsquos negaive regional influence
As par o his ramework he Unied Saes should agree o provide Israel wih addi-ional capabiliies necessary o end off Iranian proxies Tese capabiliies991252such as
missile and rocke deense sysems similar o he Iron Dome991252should be unded as an
addiion o he curren $3 billion per year in miliary assisance Israel receives rom he
Unied Saes14
Bar IRGC-linked companies from regional air- and seaports
Regional parners can preven aircraf and ships rom IRGC-linked companies rom
enering heir erriories Tese companies serve as he logisical enablers o he IRGC
ransporing personnel weapons and cash in suppor o Iranian proxies around he
region While many IRGC-linked companies have been sancioned by he Unied
Saes15 hey sill operae in he airspace and waers o Americarsquos regional parners
For insance Mahan Air991252designaed as an IRGC enabler by he US reasury
Deparmen991252liss six GCC desinaions on is websie16 Regional parners paricu-
8202019 Countering Iranrsquos Destabilizing Actions in the Middle East
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullcountering-irans-destabilizing-actions-in-the-middle-east 57
5 Center for American Progress | Countering Iranrsquos Destabilizing Actions in the Middle East
larly hose where IRGC-ied companies operae can crack down on hese enablers and
resric heir regional reedom o movemen Barring hese companies rom regional
airpors and seapors would hinder he IRGCrsquos abiliy o move personnel equipmen
and money around he region
Establish intelligence-sharing arrangements
ogeher he Unied Saes and is regional parners should esablish an inelligence
usion cell ocused on Iranrsquos suppor or proxies and is oher desabilizing behavior
in he region Te main goal o his cell should be o develop a unified picure o Iranrsquos
disrupive regional aciviies991252such as omening insabiliy inside GCC saes and
oher American regional parners991252o ensure ha he Unied Saes and is regional
parners all have he same overall picure o hese aciviies An expressed commimen
o counering hese aspecs o Iranrsquos regional policy would go along way oward easing
GCC apprehension over he poenial effecs o he nuclear deal As a firs prioriy his
cell should ocus on mapping he logisical neworks ha allow Iran o suppor proxiesaround he region and deermine heir weak spos
Support regional military action against Iranrsquos proxies and logistics network
when necessary
When necessary he Unied Saes should offer suppor o regional miliary acion
agains Iranian proxies and componens o he logisics nework ha suppors hem
such as Israeli srikes agains Hezbollah arms shipmens in Syria17 Regional parners
should ake he bulk o he risk in deploying orces on he ground while he UniedSaes should provide key suppor such as ransporaion and aerial supervision Tese
raids should be rare and only conduced on muual agreemen when based on solid
inelligence and afer a ull risk assessmen
Conclusion
Wih or wihou a nuclear agreemen Iran will coninue o presen a severe hrea o he
sabiliy and securiy o he Middle Eas991252primarily hrough is maerial and financial
suppor o proxies across he region Te Unied Saes and is regional parners will
conron his problem regardless and already should be preparing o couner Iran and is
proxies While i is unlikely ha he policies oulined here will ully deea Iranrsquos effors
in he region hey can consrain hose effors and impose higher coss on ehran han i
has previously paid
8202019 Countering Iranrsquos Destabilizing Actions in the Middle East
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullcountering-irans-destabilizing-actions-in-the-middle-east 67
6 Center for American Progress | Countering Iranrsquos Destabilizing Actions in the Middle East
Equally imporan counering Iranrsquos policy o regional desabilizaion offers he oppor-
uniy or he Unied Saes and is regional parners991252rom Israel o he GCC991252o pull
closer ogeher afer he srain caused by nuclear negoiaions Raher han indulging in
unconsrucive behavior he Unied Saes and is parners can engage in a consrucive
effor o hal991252or a leas slow down991252Iranrsquos desrucive acions hroughou he Middle
Eas Vigorous acion o consrain Iranrsquos malign regional behavior offers he Unied
Saes and is regional parners a resh sar991252one hey should ake
Peter Juul is a Policy Analyst at the Center for American Progress Brian Katulis is a Senior
Fellow at the Center Shlomo Brom is a Visiting Fellow at the Center and previously served as
brigadier general in the Israel Defense Forces
8202019 Countering Iranrsquos Destabilizing Actions in the Middle East
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullcountering-irans-destabilizing-actions-in-the-middle-east 77
7 Center for American Progress | Countering Iranrsquos Destabilizing Actions in the Middle East
Endnotes
1 European Union ldquoJoint Comprehensive Plan of Actionrdquo(2015) available at httpeeaseuropaeustatements-eeasdocsiran_agreementiran_joint-comprehensive-plan-of-action_enpdf
2 Scott Modell and David Asher ldquoPushback Counteringthe Iran Action Networkrdquo (Washington Center for a NewAmerican Security 2013) available at httpwwwcnasorg
sitesdefaultfilespublications-pdfCNAS_Pushback_Mod-ellAsher_0pdf
3 US Treasury Department National Terrorist Financing Risk Assessment 2015(2015) pp 17ndash18 Matthew Levitt andKelsey Segawa ldquoFindings from the State DepartmentrsquosAnnual Terrorism Report (Part 1) Hezbollah and Iranrdquo The Washington Institute for Near East Policy June 192015 available at httpwwwwashingtoninstituteorgpolicy-analysisviewfindings-from-the-state-departments-annual-terrorism-report-part-1-hezbolla Eli Lake ldquoIranSpends Billions to Prop Up Assadrdquo Bloomberg View June9 2015 available at httpwwwbloombergviewcomarticles2015-06-09iran-spends-billions-to-prop-up-assad
4 Modell and Asher ldquoPushbackrdquo pp 9ndash12
5 US State Department Country Reports on Terrorism 2014 (2015) Chapter 3 available at httpwwwstategovjctrlscrt2014239410htm
6 Jeffrey White ldquoA War Like No Other Israel vs Hezbollah in2015rdquo The Washington Institute for Near East Policy January29 2015 available at httpwwwwashingtoninstituteorgpolicy-analysisviewa-war-like-no-other-israel-vs-hezbol-lah-in-2015 Adam Entous Charles Levinson and Julian EBarnes ldquoHezbollah Upgrades Missile Threat to IsraelrdquoTheWall Street Journal January 2 2014 available at httpwwwwsjcomarticlesSB10001424052702304361604579290613920542386 Dan De Luce ldquoSyrian War Takes Rising Toll onHezbollahrdquo Foreign Policy July 9 2015 available at httpforeignpolicycom20150709syrian-war-takes-rising-toll-on-hezbollah J Dana Stuster ldquoThe Limits of Iranrsquos RegionalAmbitionsrdquo (Washington National Security Network2015) p 3 available at httpnsnetworkorgcmsassetsuploads201507StusterLimitsIransRegionalAmbitionspdf Philip Smyth ldquoThe Shiite Jihad in Syria and Its RegionalEffectsrdquo (Washington The Washington Institute for Near EastPolicy 2015) available at httpswwwwashingtoninstituteorguploadsDocumentspubsPolicyFocus138-v3pdf John
Ismay ldquoThe Most Lethal Weapons Americ ans Faced in IraqrdquoNew York Times At War Blog October 18 2013 availableat httpatwarblogsnytimescom20131018the-most-lethal-weapon-americans-faced-in-iraq Susannah GeorgeldquoBreaking Badrrdquo Foreign Policy November 6 2014 availableat httpforeignpolicycom20141106breaking-badrKirk H Sowell ldquoAfter Ramadi Militias in the LeadrdquoSadaJuly 1 2015 available at httpcarnegieendowmentorgsada20150701after-ramadi-militias-in-leadibb8 StuartWiner ldquoIran boasts of rocket aid to Palestinians Hezbollahrdquo The Times of Israel February 3 2015 available at httpwwwtimesofisraelcomiran-boasts-of-rocket-aid-to-pales-tinians-hezbollah Yara Bayoumy and Mohammed GhobarildquoIranian support seen as crucial for Yemenrsquos Houthisrdquo Re-uters December 15 2014 available at httpwwwreuterscomarticle20141215us-yemen-houthis-iran-insight-idUSKBN0JT17A20141215
7 Somini Sengupta ldquoUN Security Council Bans Sales of Armsto Houthi Fighters in Yemenrdquo The New York Times April 142015 available at httpwwwnytimescom20150415
worldmiddleeastyemen-houthis-saudi-airstrikes-arms-embargohtml
8 The White House ldquoAnnex to US-Gulf Cooperation CouncilCamp David Joint Statementrdquo Press release May 14 2015available at httpswwwwhitehousegovthe-press-of-fice20150514annex-us-gulf-cooperation-council-camp-david-joint-statement
9 Nicole Perlroth ldquoIn Cyberattack on Saudi Firm US Sees IranFiring Backrdquo The New York Times October 23 2012 availableat httpwwwnytimescom20121024businessglobalcyberattack-on-saudi-oil-firm-disquiets-ushtml
10 Christopher M Blanchard ldquoSaudi Arabia Backgroundand US Relationsrdquo (Washington Congressional ResearchService 2015) p 13 available at httpfasorgsgpcrsmid-eastRL33533pdf
11 Andrea Shalal-Esa ldquoUS clears sale of Lockheed missiledefense system to UAE Qatarrdquo Reuters November 6 2012available at httpwwwreuterscomarticle20121106us-lockheed-missiles-mideast-idUSBRE8A507J20121106 United Press International ldquoOman to buy $21B Raytheonmissile systemrdquo May 21 2013 available at httpwwwupicomBusiness_NewsSecurity-Industry20130521Oman-to-buy-21B-Raytheon-missile-system72381369166633 Jeremy Binnie ldquoIDEX 2015 Saudi Qatari THAAD contracts inthe pipelinerdquo IHS Janersquos Defence Weekly February 24 2015available at httpwwwjanescomarticle49344idex-2015-saudi-qatari-thaad-contracts-in-the-pipeline
12 Richard Tomkins ldquoNorthroprsquos battle command systembrings down ballistic missile targetrdquo United Press Inter-national May 28 2015 available at httpwwwupicomBusiness_NewsSecurity-Industry20150528Northrops-battle-command-system-brings-down-ballistic-missile-
target7741432840655
13 Barbara Starr Laura Smith-Spark and Ray Sanchez ldquoAbuSayyaf key ISIS figure in Syria killed in US raidrdquo CNN May17 2015 available at httpwwwcnncom20150516mid-dleeastsyria-isis-us-raid
14 Julie Hirschfield Davis and Matthew Rosenberg ldquoUS Offersto Help Israel Bolster Defenses Yet Iran Nuclear Deal LeavesUneasy Allyrdquo The New York Times July 15 2015 available athttpwwwnytimescom20150716worldmiddleeastus-offers-to-help-israel-bolster-defenses-yet-nuclear-deal-leaves-ally-uneasyhtml
15 Jay Solomon ldquoUS Sanctions Triggered by Plane Sale toIranrsquos Mahan Airrdquo The Wall Street Journal May 21 2015available at httpwwwwsjcomarticlesu-s-sanctions-triggered-by-plane-sale-to-irans-mahan-air-1432250073 Rick Gladstone ldquoSales to Mahan Air Blacklisted by US HangOver Iran Talksrdquo The New York Times June 9 2015 available
at httpwwwnytimescom20150610worldmiddleeastsales-to-mahan-air-blacklisted-by-us-hang-over-iran-talkshtml US Treasury Department ldquoTreasury AnnouncesNew Sanctions Against Iranrdquo Press release May 31 2013available at httpwwwtreasurygovpress-centerpress-releasesPagesjl1965aspx US Treasury DepartmentldquoTreasury Designates Iranian Commercial Airline Linked toIranrsquos Support for Terrorismrdquo Press release October 12 2011available at httpwwwtreasurygovpress-centerpress-releasesPagestg1322aspx
16 US Treasury Department ldquoTreasury Designates IranianCommercial Airline Linked to Iranrsquos Support for TerrorismrdquoMahan Air ldquoOur Route Networkrdquo available at httpwwwmahanaeroendestinationsroute-network (last accessedJuly 2015)
17 Jack Khoury Barak Ravid and Gili Cohen ldquoReport Israelstrikes Syrian military bases Hezbollah targets near Syria-Lebanon borderrdquo Haaretz April 25 2015 available at httpwwwhaaretzcomnewsdiplomacy-defense1653448
8202019 Countering Iranrsquos Destabilizing Actions in the Middle East
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullcountering-irans-destabilizing-actions-in-the-middle-east 47
4 Center for American Progress | Countering Iranrsquos Destabilizing Actions in the Middle East
Special operations training
Te Unied Saes pledged o examine opions o increase special operaions raining
wih is GCC parners Many GCC saes are building heir special operaions capabili-
ies rom scrach so a concered effor o rain and equip hese orces in GCC counries
will be required Bu his effor should avoid he creaion o a GCC equivalen o he
Quds Force Te las hing he Middle Eas needs is anoher sae-sponsored nework o
highly secarian proxy orces Insead American effors should concenrae on praci-cal skills991252such as conducing raids similar o he May 2015 operaion ha killed a
key Islamic Sae o Iraq and al-Sham or ISIS financier991252and ineroperabiliy wih
American special operaions orces13
Establish a strategic framework with Israel to counter Iran
Troughou he negoiaions process wih Iran Israel and he Unied Saes have missed
opporuniies o esablish a pos-agreemen sraegic ramework o couner Iranrsquos
regional influence because o he ricion caused by major disagreemens on he man-agemen o he negoiaions Now ha an agreemen has been reached and is likely o
move orward his ailure will become waer under he bridge Alhough i will be polii-
cally difficul he Unied Saes and Israel should come o a sraegic agreemen similar
o he one reached beween he Unied Saes and GCC saes a Camp David Tis
ramework need no be hashed ou a a high-level summi bu can insead be worked ou
by American and Israeli diplomas and deense officials I should cover he same areas
as he US-GCC summi communiqueacute and annex oulining he seps boh Israel and
he Unied Saes will ake o couner Iranrsquos negaive regional influence
As par o his ramework he Unied Saes should agree o provide Israel wih addi-ional capabiliies necessary o end off Iranian proxies Tese capabiliies991252such as
missile and rocke deense sysems similar o he Iron Dome991252should be unded as an
addiion o he curren $3 billion per year in miliary assisance Israel receives rom he
Unied Saes14
Bar IRGC-linked companies from regional air- and seaports
Regional parners can preven aircraf and ships rom IRGC-linked companies rom
enering heir erriories Tese companies serve as he logisical enablers o he IRGC
ransporing personnel weapons and cash in suppor o Iranian proxies around he
region While many IRGC-linked companies have been sancioned by he Unied
Saes15 hey sill operae in he airspace and waers o Americarsquos regional parners
For insance Mahan Air991252designaed as an IRGC enabler by he US reasury
Deparmen991252liss six GCC desinaions on is websie16 Regional parners paricu-
8202019 Countering Iranrsquos Destabilizing Actions in the Middle East
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullcountering-irans-destabilizing-actions-in-the-middle-east 57
5 Center for American Progress | Countering Iranrsquos Destabilizing Actions in the Middle East
larly hose where IRGC-ied companies operae can crack down on hese enablers and
resric heir regional reedom o movemen Barring hese companies rom regional
airpors and seapors would hinder he IRGCrsquos abiliy o move personnel equipmen
and money around he region
Establish intelligence-sharing arrangements
ogeher he Unied Saes and is regional parners should esablish an inelligence
usion cell ocused on Iranrsquos suppor or proxies and is oher desabilizing behavior
in he region Te main goal o his cell should be o develop a unified picure o Iranrsquos
disrupive regional aciviies991252such as omening insabiliy inside GCC saes and
oher American regional parners991252o ensure ha he Unied Saes and is regional
parners all have he same overall picure o hese aciviies An expressed commimen
o counering hese aspecs o Iranrsquos regional policy would go along way oward easing
GCC apprehension over he poenial effecs o he nuclear deal As a firs prioriy his
cell should ocus on mapping he logisical neworks ha allow Iran o suppor proxiesaround he region and deermine heir weak spos
Support regional military action against Iranrsquos proxies and logistics network
when necessary
When necessary he Unied Saes should offer suppor o regional miliary acion
agains Iranian proxies and componens o he logisics nework ha suppors hem
such as Israeli srikes agains Hezbollah arms shipmens in Syria17 Regional parners
should ake he bulk o he risk in deploying orces on he ground while he UniedSaes should provide key suppor such as ransporaion and aerial supervision Tese
raids should be rare and only conduced on muual agreemen when based on solid
inelligence and afer a ull risk assessmen
Conclusion
Wih or wihou a nuclear agreemen Iran will coninue o presen a severe hrea o he
sabiliy and securiy o he Middle Eas991252primarily hrough is maerial and financial
suppor o proxies across he region Te Unied Saes and is regional parners will
conron his problem regardless and already should be preparing o couner Iran and is
proxies While i is unlikely ha he policies oulined here will ully deea Iranrsquos effors
in he region hey can consrain hose effors and impose higher coss on ehran han i
has previously paid
8202019 Countering Iranrsquos Destabilizing Actions in the Middle East
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullcountering-irans-destabilizing-actions-in-the-middle-east 67
6 Center for American Progress | Countering Iranrsquos Destabilizing Actions in the Middle East
Equally imporan counering Iranrsquos policy o regional desabilizaion offers he oppor-
uniy or he Unied Saes and is regional parners991252rom Israel o he GCC991252o pull
closer ogeher afer he srain caused by nuclear negoiaions Raher han indulging in
unconsrucive behavior he Unied Saes and is parners can engage in a consrucive
effor o hal991252or a leas slow down991252Iranrsquos desrucive acions hroughou he Middle
Eas Vigorous acion o consrain Iranrsquos malign regional behavior offers he Unied
Saes and is regional parners a resh sar991252one hey should ake
Peter Juul is a Policy Analyst at the Center for American Progress Brian Katulis is a Senior
Fellow at the Center Shlomo Brom is a Visiting Fellow at the Center and previously served as
brigadier general in the Israel Defense Forces
8202019 Countering Iranrsquos Destabilizing Actions in the Middle East
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullcountering-irans-destabilizing-actions-in-the-middle-east 77
7 Center for American Progress | Countering Iranrsquos Destabilizing Actions in the Middle East
Endnotes
1 European Union ldquoJoint Comprehensive Plan of Actionrdquo(2015) available at httpeeaseuropaeustatements-eeasdocsiran_agreementiran_joint-comprehensive-plan-of-action_enpdf
2 Scott Modell and David Asher ldquoPushback Counteringthe Iran Action Networkrdquo (Washington Center for a NewAmerican Security 2013) available at httpwwwcnasorg
sitesdefaultfilespublications-pdfCNAS_Pushback_Mod-ellAsher_0pdf
3 US Treasury Department National Terrorist Financing Risk Assessment 2015(2015) pp 17ndash18 Matthew Levitt andKelsey Segawa ldquoFindings from the State DepartmentrsquosAnnual Terrorism Report (Part 1) Hezbollah and Iranrdquo The Washington Institute for Near East Policy June 192015 available at httpwwwwashingtoninstituteorgpolicy-analysisviewfindings-from-the-state-departments-annual-terrorism-report-part-1-hezbolla Eli Lake ldquoIranSpends Billions to Prop Up Assadrdquo Bloomberg View June9 2015 available at httpwwwbloombergviewcomarticles2015-06-09iran-spends-billions-to-prop-up-assad
4 Modell and Asher ldquoPushbackrdquo pp 9ndash12
5 US State Department Country Reports on Terrorism 2014 (2015) Chapter 3 available at httpwwwstategovjctrlscrt2014239410htm
6 Jeffrey White ldquoA War Like No Other Israel vs Hezbollah in2015rdquo The Washington Institute for Near East Policy January29 2015 available at httpwwwwashingtoninstituteorgpolicy-analysisviewa-war-like-no-other-israel-vs-hezbol-lah-in-2015 Adam Entous Charles Levinson and Julian EBarnes ldquoHezbollah Upgrades Missile Threat to IsraelrdquoTheWall Street Journal January 2 2014 available at httpwwwwsjcomarticlesSB10001424052702304361604579290613920542386 Dan De Luce ldquoSyrian War Takes Rising Toll onHezbollahrdquo Foreign Policy July 9 2015 available at httpforeignpolicycom20150709syrian-war-takes-rising-toll-on-hezbollah J Dana Stuster ldquoThe Limits of Iranrsquos RegionalAmbitionsrdquo (Washington National Security Network2015) p 3 available at httpnsnetworkorgcmsassetsuploads201507StusterLimitsIransRegionalAmbitionspdf Philip Smyth ldquoThe Shiite Jihad in Syria and Its RegionalEffectsrdquo (Washington The Washington Institute for Near EastPolicy 2015) available at httpswwwwashingtoninstituteorguploadsDocumentspubsPolicyFocus138-v3pdf John
Ismay ldquoThe Most Lethal Weapons Americ ans Faced in IraqrdquoNew York Times At War Blog October 18 2013 availableat httpatwarblogsnytimescom20131018the-most-lethal-weapon-americans-faced-in-iraq Susannah GeorgeldquoBreaking Badrrdquo Foreign Policy November 6 2014 availableat httpforeignpolicycom20141106breaking-badrKirk H Sowell ldquoAfter Ramadi Militias in the LeadrdquoSadaJuly 1 2015 available at httpcarnegieendowmentorgsada20150701after-ramadi-militias-in-leadibb8 StuartWiner ldquoIran boasts of rocket aid to Palestinians Hezbollahrdquo The Times of Israel February 3 2015 available at httpwwwtimesofisraelcomiran-boasts-of-rocket-aid-to-pales-tinians-hezbollah Yara Bayoumy and Mohammed GhobarildquoIranian support seen as crucial for Yemenrsquos Houthisrdquo Re-uters December 15 2014 available at httpwwwreuterscomarticle20141215us-yemen-houthis-iran-insight-idUSKBN0JT17A20141215
7 Somini Sengupta ldquoUN Security Council Bans Sales of Armsto Houthi Fighters in Yemenrdquo The New York Times April 142015 available at httpwwwnytimescom20150415
worldmiddleeastyemen-houthis-saudi-airstrikes-arms-embargohtml
8 The White House ldquoAnnex to US-Gulf Cooperation CouncilCamp David Joint Statementrdquo Press release May 14 2015available at httpswwwwhitehousegovthe-press-of-fice20150514annex-us-gulf-cooperation-council-camp-david-joint-statement
9 Nicole Perlroth ldquoIn Cyberattack on Saudi Firm US Sees IranFiring Backrdquo The New York Times October 23 2012 availableat httpwwwnytimescom20121024businessglobalcyberattack-on-saudi-oil-firm-disquiets-ushtml
10 Christopher M Blanchard ldquoSaudi Arabia Backgroundand US Relationsrdquo (Washington Congressional ResearchService 2015) p 13 available at httpfasorgsgpcrsmid-eastRL33533pdf
11 Andrea Shalal-Esa ldquoUS clears sale of Lockheed missiledefense system to UAE Qatarrdquo Reuters November 6 2012available at httpwwwreuterscomarticle20121106us-lockheed-missiles-mideast-idUSBRE8A507J20121106 United Press International ldquoOman to buy $21B Raytheonmissile systemrdquo May 21 2013 available at httpwwwupicomBusiness_NewsSecurity-Industry20130521Oman-to-buy-21B-Raytheon-missile-system72381369166633 Jeremy Binnie ldquoIDEX 2015 Saudi Qatari THAAD contracts inthe pipelinerdquo IHS Janersquos Defence Weekly February 24 2015available at httpwwwjanescomarticle49344idex-2015-saudi-qatari-thaad-contracts-in-the-pipeline
12 Richard Tomkins ldquoNorthroprsquos battle command systembrings down ballistic missile targetrdquo United Press Inter-national May 28 2015 available at httpwwwupicomBusiness_NewsSecurity-Industry20150528Northrops-battle-command-system-brings-down-ballistic-missile-
target7741432840655
13 Barbara Starr Laura Smith-Spark and Ray Sanchez ldquoAbuSayyaf key ISIS figure in Syria killed in US raidrdquo CNN May17 2015 available at httpwwwcnncom20150516mid-dleeastsyria-isis-us-raid
14 Julie Hirschfield Davis and Matthew Rosenberg ldquoUS Offersto Help Israel Bolster Defenses Yet Iran Nuclear Deal LeavesUneasy Allyrdquo The New York Times July 15 2015 available athttpwwwnytimescom20150716worldmiddleeastus-offers-to-help-israel-bolster-defenses-yet-nuclear-deal-leaves-ally-uneasyhtml
15 Jay Solomon ldquoUS Sanctions Triggered by Plane Sale toIranrsquos Mahan Airrdquo The Wall Street Journal May 21 2015available at httpwwwwsjcomarticlesu-s-sanctions-triggered-by-plane-sale-to-irans-mahan-air-1432250073 Rick Gladstone ldquoSales to Mahan Air Blacklisted by US HangOver Iran Talksrdquo The New York Times June 9 2015 available
at httpwwwnytimescom20150610worldmiddleeastsales-to-mahan-air-blacklisted-by-us-hang-over-iran-talkshtml US Treasury Department ldquoTreasury AnnouncesNew Sanctions Against Iranrdquo Press release May 31 2013available at httpwwwtreasurygovpress-centerpress-releasesPagesjl1965aspx US Treasury DepartmentldquoTreasury Designates Iranian Commercial Airline Linked toIranrsquos Support for Terrorismrdquo Press release October 12 2011available at httpwwwtreasurygovpress-centerpress-releasesPagestg1322aspx
16 US Treasury Department ldquoTreasury Designates IranianCommercial Airline Linked to Iranrsquos Support for TerrorismrdquoMahan Air ldquoOur Route Networkrdquo available at httpwwwmahanaeroendestinationsroute-network (last accessedJuly 2015)
17 Jack Khoury Barak Ravid and Gili Cohen ldquoReport Israelstrikes Syrian military bases Hezbollah targets near Syria-Lebanon borderrdquo Haaretz April 25 2015 available at httpwwwhaaretzcomnewsdiplomacy-defense1653448
8202019 Countering Iranrsquos Destabilizing Actions in the Middle East
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullcountering-irans-destabilizing-actions-in-the-middle-east 57
5 Center for American Progress | Countering Iranrsquos Destabilizing Actions in the Middle East
larly hose where IRGC-ied companies operae can crack down on hese enablers and
resric heir regional reedom o movemen Barring hese companies rom regional
airpors and seapors would hinder he IRGCrsquos abiliy o move personnel equipmen
and money around he region
Establish intelligence-sharing arrangements
ogeher he Unied Saes and is regional parners should esablish an inelligence
usion cell ocused on Iranrsquos suppor or proxies and is oher desabilizing behavior
in he region Te main goal o his cell should be o develop a unified picure o Iranrsquos
disrupive regional aciviies991252such as omening insabiliy inside GCC saes and
oher American regional parners991252o ensure ha he Unied Saes and is regional
parners all have he same overall picure o hese aciviies An expressed commimen
o counering hese aspecs o Iranrsquos regional policy would go along way oward easing
GCC apprehension over he poenial effecs o he nuclear deal As a firs prioriy his
cell should ocus on mapping he logisical neworks ha allow Iran o suppor proxiesaround he region and deermine heir weak spos
Support regional military action against Iranrsquos proxies and logistics network
when necessary
When necessary he Unied Saes should offer suppor o regional miliary acion
agains Iranian proxies and componens o he logisics nework ha suppors hem
such as Israeli srikes agains Hezbollah arms shipmens in Syria17 Regional parners
should ake he bulk o he risk in deploying orces on he ground while he UniedSaes should provide key suppor such as ransporaion and aerial supervision Tese
raids should be rare and only conduced on muual agreemen when based on solid
inelligence and afer a ull risk assessmen
Conclusion
Wih or wihou a nuclear agreemen Iran will coninue o presen a severe hrea o he
sabiliy and securiy o he Middle Eas991252primarily hrough is maerial and financial
suppor o proxies across he region Te Unied Saes and is regional parners will
conron his problem regardless and already should be preparing o couner Iran and is
proxies While i is unlikely ha he policies oulined here will ully deea Iranrsquos effors
in he region hey can consrain hose effors and impose higher coss on ehran han i
has previously paid
8202019 Countering Iranrsquos Destabilizing Actions in the Middle East
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullcountering-irans-destabilizing-actions-in-the-middle-east 67
6 Center for American Progress | Countering Iranrsquos Destabilizing Actions in the Middle East
Equally imporan counering Iranrsquos policy o regional desabilizaion offers he oppor-
uniy or he Unied Saes and is regional parners991252rom Israel o he GCC991252o pull
closer ogeher afer he srain caused by nuclear negoiaions Raher han indulging in
unconsrucive behavior he Unied Saes and is parners can engage in a consrucive
effor o hal991252or a leas slow down991252Iranrsquos desrucive acions hroughou he Middle
Eas Vigorous acion o consrain Iranrsquos malign regional behavior offers he Unied
Saes and is regional parners a resh sar991252one hey should ake
Peter Juul is a Policy Analyst at the Center for American Progress Brian Katulis is a Senior
Fellow at the Center Shlomo Brom is a Visiting Fellow at the Center and previously served as
brigadier general in the Israel Defense Forces
8202019 Countering Iranrsquos Destabilizing Actions in the Middle East
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullcountering-irans-destabilizing-actions-in-the-middle-east 77
7 Center for American Progress | Countering Iranrsquos Destabilizing Actions in the Middle East
Endnotes
1 European Union ldquoJoint Comprehensive Plan of Actionrdquo(2015) available at httpeeaseuropaeustatements-eeasdocsiran_agreementiran_joint-comprehensive-plan-of-action_enpdf
2 Scott Modell and David Asher ldquoPushback Counteringthe Iran Action Networkrdquo (Washington Center for a NewAmerican Security 2013) available at httpwwwcnasorg
sitesdefaultfilespublications-pdfCNAS_Pushback_Mod-ellAsher_0pdf
3 US Treasury Department National Terrorist Financing Risk Assessment 2015(2015) pp 17ndash18 Matthew Levitt andKelsey Segawa ldquoFindings from the State DepartmentrsquosAnnual Terrorism Report (Part 1) Hezbollah and Iranrdquo The Washington Institute for Near East Policy June 192015 available at httpwwwwashingtoninstituteorgpolicy-analysisviewfindings-from-the-state-departments-annual-terrorism-report-part-1-hezbolla Eli Lake ldquoIranSpends Billions to Prop Up Assadrdquo Bloomberg View June9 2015 available at httpwwwbloombergviewcomarticles2015-06-09iran-spends-billions-to-prop-up-assad
4 Modell and Asher ldquoPushbackrdquo pp 9ndash12
5 US State Department Country Reports on Terrorism 2014 (2015) Chapter 3 available at httpwwwstategovjctrlscrt2014239410htm
6 Jeffrey White ldquoA War Like No Other Israel vs Hezbollah in2015rdquo The Washington Institute for Near East Policy January29 2015 available at httpwwwwashingtoninstituteorgpolicy-analysisviewa-war-like-no-other-israel-vs-hezbol-lah-in-2015 Adam Entous Charles Levinson and Julian EBarnes ldquoHezbollah Upgrades Missile Threat to IsraelrdquoTheWall Street Journal January 2 2014 available at httpwwwwsjcomarticlesSB10001424052702304361604579290613920542386 Dan De Luce ldquoSyrian War Takes Rising Toll onHezbollahrdquo Foreign Policy July 9 2015 available at httpforeignpolicycom20150709syrian-war-takes-rising-toll-on-hezbollah J Dana Stuster ldquoThe Limits of Iranrsquos RegionalAmbitionsrdquo (Washington National Security Network2015) p 3 available at httpnsnetworkorgcmsassetsuploads201507StusterLimitsIransRegionalAmbitionspdf Philip Smyth ldquoThe Shiite Jihad in Syria and Its RegionalEffectsrdquo (Washington The Washington Institute for Near EastPolicy 2015) available at httpswwwwashingtoninstituteorguploadsDocumentspubsPolicyFocus138-v3pdf John
Ismay ldquoThe Most Lethal Weapons Americ ans Faced in IraqrdquoNew York Times At War Blog October 18 2013 availableat httpatwarblogsnytimescom20131018the-most-lethal-weapon-americans-faced-in-iraq Susannah GeorgeldquoBreaking Badrrdquo Foreign Policy November 6 2014 availableat httpforeignpolicycom20141106breaking-badrKirk H Sowell ldquoAfter Ramadi Militias in the LeadrdquoSadaJuly 1 2015 available at httpcarnegieendowmentorgsada20150701after-ramadi-militias-in-leadibb8 StuartWiner ldquoIran boasts of rocket aid to Palestinians Hezbollahrdquo The Times of Israel February 3 2015 available at httpwwwtimesofisraelcomiran-boasts-of-rocket-aid-to-pales-tinians-hezbollah Yara Bayoumy and Mohammed GhobarildquoIranian support seen as crucial for Yemenrsquos Houthisrdquo Re-uters December 15 2014 available at httpwwwreuterscomarticle20141215us-yemen-houthis-iran-insight-idUSKBN0JT17A20141215
7 Somini Sengupta ldquoUN Security Council Bans Sales of Armsto Houthi Fighters in Yemenrdquo The New York Times April 142015 available at httpwwwnytimescom20150415
worldmiddleeastyemen-houthis-saudi-airstrikes-arms-embargohtml
8 The White House ldquoAnnex to US-Gulf Cooperation CouncilCamp David Joint Statementrdquo Press release May 14 2015available at httpswwwwhitehousegovthe-press-of-fice20150514annex-us-gulf-cooperation-council-camp-david-joint-statement
9 Nicole Perlroth ldquoIn Cyberattack on Saudi Firm US Sees IranFiring Backrdquo The New York Times October 23 2012 availableat httpwwwnytimescom20121024businessglobalcyberattack-on-saudi-oil-firm-disquiets-ushtml
10 Christopher M Blanchard ldquoSaudi Arabia Backgroundand US Relationsrdquo (Washington Congressional ResearchService 2015) p 13 available at httpfasorgsgpcrsmid-eastRL33533pdf
11 Andrea Shalal-Esa ldquoUS clears sale of Lockheed missiledefense system to UAE Qatarrdquo Reuters November 6 2012available at httpwwwreuterscomarticle20121106us-lockheed-missiles-mideast-idUSBRE8A507J20121106 United Press International ldquoOman to buy $21B Raytheonmissile systemrdquo May 21 2013 available at httpwwwupicomBusiness_NewsSecurity-Industry20130521Oman-to-buy-21B-Raytheon-missile-system72381369166633 Jeremy Binnie ldquoIDEX 2015 Saudi Qatari THAAD contracts inthe pipelinerdquo IHS Janersquos Defence Weekly February 24 2015available at httpwwwjanescomarticle49344idex-2015-saudi-qatari-thaad-contracts-in-the-pipeline
12 Richard Tomkins ldquoNorthroprsquos battle command systembrings down ballistic missile targetrdquo United Press Inter-national May 28 2015 available at httpwwwupicomBusiness_NewsSecurity-Industry20150528Northrops-battle-command-system-brings-down-ballistic-missile-
target7741432840655
13 Barbara Starr Laura Smith-Spark and Ray Sanchez ldquoAbuSayyaf key ISIS figure in Syria killed in US raidrdquo CNN May17 2015 available at httpwwwcnncom20150516mid-dleeastsyria-isis-us-raid
14 Julie Hirschfield Davis and Matthew Rosenberg ldquoUS Offersto Help Israel Bolster Defenses Yet Iran Nuclear Deal LeavesUneasy Allyrdquo The New York Times July 15 2015 available athttpwwwnytimescom20150716worldmiddleeastus-offers-to-help-israel-bolster-defenses-yet-nuclear-deal-leaves-ally-uneasyhtml
15 Jay Solomon ldquoUS Sanctions Triggered by Plane Sale toIranrsquos Mahan Airrdquo The Wall Street Journal May 21 2015available at httpwwwwsjcomarticlesu-s-sanctions-triggered-by-plane-sale-to-irans-mahan-air-1432250073 Rick Gladstone ldquoSales to Mahan Air Blacklisted by US HangOver Iran Talksrdquo The New York Times June 9 2015 available
at httpwwwnytimescom20150610worldmiddleeastsales-to-mahan-air-blacklisted-by-us-hang-over-iran-talkshtml US Treasury Department ldquoTreasury AnnouncesNew Sanctions Against Iranrdquo Press release May 31 2013available at httpwwwtreasurygovpress-centerpress-releasesPagesjl1965aspx US Treasury DepartmentldquoTreasury Designates Iranian Commercial Airline Linked toIranrsquos Support for Terrorismrdquo Press release October 12 2011available at httpwwwtreasurygovpress-centerpress-releasesPagestg1322aspx
16 US Treasury Department ldquoTreasury Designates IranianCommercial Airline Linked to Iranrsquos Support for TerrorismrdquoMahan Air ldquoOur Route Networkrdquo available at httpwwwmahanaeroendestinationsroute-network (last accessedJuly 2015)
17 Jack Khoury Barak Ravid and Gili Cohen ldquoReport Israelstrikes Syrian military bases Hezbollah targets near Syria-Lebanon borderrdquo Haaretz April 25 2015 available at httpwwwhaaretzcomnewsdiplomacy-defense1653448
8202019 Countering Iranrsquos Destabilizing Actions in the Middle East
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullcountering-irans-destabilizing-actions-in-the-middle-east 67
6 Center for American Progress | Countering Iranrsquos Destabilizing Actions in the Middle East
Equally imporan counering Iranrsquos policy o regional desabilizaion offers he oppor-
uniy or he Unied Saes and is regional parners991252rom Israel o he GCC991252o pull
closer ogeher afer he srain caused by nuclear negoiaions Raher han indulging in
unconsrucive behavior he Unied Saes and is parners can engage in a consrucive
effor o hal991252or a leas slow down991252Iranrsquos desrucive acions hroughou he Middle
Eas Vigorous acion o consrain Iranrsquos malign regional behavior offers he Unied
Saes and is regional parners a resh sar991252one hey should ake
Peter Juul is a Policy Analyst at the Center for American Progress Brian Katulis is a Senior
Fellow at the Center Shlomo Brom is a Visiting Fellow at the Center and previously served as
brigadier general in the Israel Defense Forces
8202019 Countering Iranrsquos Destabilizing Actions in the Middle East
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullcountering-irans-destabilizing-actions-in-the-middle-east 77
7 Center for American Progress | Countering Iranrsquos Destabilizing Actions in the Middle East
Endnotes
1 European Union ldquoJoint Comprehensive Plan of Actionrdquo(2015) available at httpeeaseuropaeustatements-eeasdocsiran_agreementiran_joint-comprehensive-plan-of-action_enpdf
2 Scott Modell and David Asher ldquoPushback Counteringthe Iran Action Networkrdquo (Washington Center for a NewAmerican Security 2013) available at httpwwwcnasorg
sitesdefaultfilespublications-pdfCNAS_Pushback_Mod-ellAsher_0pdf
3 US Treasury Department National Terrorist Financing Risk Assessment 2015(2015) pp 17ndash18 Matthew Levitt andKelsey Segawa ldquoFindings from the State DepartmentrsquosAnnual Terrorism Report (Part 1) Hezbollah and Iranrdquo The Washington Institute for Near East Policy June 192015 available at httpwwwwashingtoninstituteorgpolicy-analysisviewfindings-from-the-state-departments-annual-terrorism-report-part-1-hezbolla Eli Lake ldquoIranSpends Billions to Prop Up Assadrdquo Bloomberg View June9 2015 available at httpwwwbloombergviewcomarticles2015-06-09iran-spends-billions-to-prop-up-assad
4 Modell and Asher ldquoPushbackrdquo pp 9ndash12
5 US State Department Country Reports on Terrorism 2014 (2015) Chapter 3 available at httpwwwstategovjctrlscrt2014239410htm
6 Jeffrey White ldquoA War Like No Other Israel vs Hezbollah in2015rdquo The Washington Institute for Near East Policy January29 2015 available at httpwwwwashingtoninstituteorgpolicy-analysisviewa-war-like-no-other-israel-vs-hezbol-lah-in-2015 Adam Entous Charles Levinson and Julian EBarnes ldquoHezbollah Upgrades Missile Threat to IsraelrdquoTheWall Street Journal January 2 2014 available at httpwwwwsjcomarticlesSB10001424052702304361604579290613920542386 Dan De Luce ldquoSyrian War Takes Rising Toll onHezbollahrdquo Foreign Policy July 9 2015 available at httpforeignpolicycom20150709syrian-war-takes-rising-toll-on-hezbollah J Dana Stuster ldquoThe Limits of Iranrsquos RegionalAmbitionsrdquo (Washington National Security Network2015) p 3 available at httpnsnetworkorgcmsassetsuploads201507StusterLimitsIransRegionalAmbitionspdf Philip Smyth ldquoThe Shiite Jihad in Syria and Its RegionalEffectsrdquo (Washington The Washington Institute for Near EastPolicy 2015) available at httpswwwwashingtoninstituteorguploadsDocumentspubsPolicyFocus138-v3pdf John
Ismay ldquoThe Most Lethal Weapons Americ ans Faced in IraqrdquoNew York Times At War Blog October 18 2013 availableat httpatwarblogsnytimescom20131018the-most-lethal-weapon-americans-faced-in-iraq Susannah GeorgeldquoBreaking Badrrdquo Foreign Policy November 6 2014 availableat httpforeignpolicycom20141106breaking-badrKirk H Sowell ldquoAfter Ramadi Militias in the LeadrdquoSadaJuly 1 2015 available at httpcarnegieendowmentorgsada20150701after-ramadi-militias-in-leadibb8 StuartWiner ldquoIran boasts of rocket aid to Palestinians Hezbollahrdquo The Times of Israel February 3 2015 available at httpwwwtimesofisraelcomiran-boasts-of-rocket-aid-to-pales-tinians-hezbollah Yara Bayoumy and Mohammed GhobarildquoIranian support seen as crucial for Yemenrsquos Houthisrdquo Re-uters December 15 2014 available at httpwwwreuterscomarticle20141215us-yemen-houthis-iran-insight-idUSKBN0JT17A20141215
7 Somini Sengupta ldquoUN Security Council Bans Sales of Armsto Houthi Fighters in Yemenrdquo The New York Times April 142015 available at httpwwwnytimescom20150415
worldmiddleeastyemen-houthis-saudi-airstrikes-arms-embargohtml
8 The White House ldquoAnnex to US-Gulf Cooperation CouncilCamp David Joint Statementrdquo Press release May 14 2015available at httpswwwwhitehousegovthe-press-of-fice20150514annex-us-gulf-cooperation-council-camp-david-joint-statement
9 Nicole Perlroth ldquoIn Cyberattack on Saudi Firm US Sees IranFiring Backrdquo The New York Times October 23 2012 availableat httpwwwnytimescom20121024businessglobalcyberattack-on-saudi-oil-firm-disquiets-ushtml
10 Christopher M Blanchard ldquoSaudi Arabia Backgroundand US Relationsrdquo (Washington Congressional ResearchService 2015) p 13 available at httpfasorgsgpcrsmid-eastRL33533pdf
11 Andrea Shalal-Esa ldquoUS clears sale of Lockheed missiledefense system to UAE Qatarrdquo Reuters November 6 2012available at httpwwwreuterscomarticle20121106us-lockheed-missiles-mideast-idUSBRE8A507J20121106 United Press International ldquoOman to buy $21B Raytheonmissile systemrdquo May 21 2013 available at httpwwwupicomBusiness_NewsSecurity-Industry20130521Oman-to-buy-21B-Raytheon-missile-system72381369166633 Jeremy Binnie ldquoIDEX 2015 Saudi Qatari THAAD contracts inthe pipelinerdquo IHS Janersquos Defence Weekly February 24 2015available at httpwwwjanescomarticle49344idex-2015-saudi-qatari-thaad-contracts-in-the-pipeline
12 Richard Tomkins ldquoNorthroprsquos battle command systembrings down ballistic missile targetrdquo United Press Inter-national May 28 2015 available at httpwwwupicomBusiness_NewsSecurity-Industry20150528Northrops-battle-command-system-brings-down-ballistic-missile-
target7741432840655
13 Barbara Starr Laura Smith-Spark and Ray Sanchez ldquoAbuSayyaf key ISIS figure in Syria killed in US raidrdquo CNN May17 2015 available at httpwwwcnncom20150516mid-dleeastsyria-isis-us-raid
14 Julie Hirschfield Davis and Matthew Rosenberg ldquoUS Offersto Help Israel Bolster Defenses Yet Iran Nuclear Deal LeavesUneasy Allyrdquo The New York Times July 15 2015 available athttpwwwnytimescom20150716worldmiddleeastus-offers-to-help-israel-bolster-defenses-yet-nuclear-deal-leaves-ally-uneasyhtml
15 Jay Solomon ldquoUS Sanctions Triggered by Plane Sale toIranrsquos Mahan Airrdquo The Wall Street Journal May 21 2015available at httpwwwwsjcomarticlesu-s-sanctions-triggered-by-plane-sale-to-irans-mahan-air-1432250073 Rick Gladstone ldquoSales to Mahan Air Blacklisted by US HangOver Iran Talksrdquo The New York Times June 9 2015 available
at httpwwwnytimescom20150610worldmiddleeastsales-to-mahan-air-blacklisted-by-us-hang-over-iran-talkshtml US Treasury Department ldquoTreasury AnnouncesNew Sanctions Against Iranrdquo Press release May 31 2013available at httpwwwtreasurygovpress-centerpress-releasesPagesjl1965aspx US Treasury DepartmentldquoTreasury Designates Iranian Commercial Airline Linked toIranrsquos Support for Terrorismrdquo Press release October 12 2011available at httpwwwtreasurygovpress-centerpress-releasesPagestg1322aspx
16 US Treasury Department ldquoTreasury Designates IranianCommercial Airline Linked to Iranrsquos Support for TerrorismrdquoMahan Air ldquoOur Route Networkrdquo available at httpwwwmahanaeroendestinationsroute-network (last accessedJuly 2015)
17 Jack Khoury Barak Ravid and Gili Cohen ldquoReport Israelstrikes Syrian military bases Hezbollah targets near Syria-Lebanon borderrdquo Haaretz April 25 2015 available at httpwwwhaaretzcomnewsdiplomacy-defense1653448
8202019 Countering Iranrsquos Destabilizing Actions in the Middle East
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullcountering-irans-destabilizing-actions-in-the-middle-east 77
7 Center for American Progress | Countering Iranrsquos Destabilizing Actions in the Middle East
Endnotes
1 European Union ldquoJoint Comprehensive Plan of Actionrdquo(2015) available at httpeeaseuropaeustatements-eeasdocsiran_agreementiran_joint-comprehensive-plan-of-action_enpdf
2 Scott Modell and David Asher ldquoPushback Counteringthe Iran Action Networkrdquo (Washington Center for a NewAmerican Security 2013) available at httpwwwcnasorg
sitesdefaultfilespublications-pdfCNAS_Pushback_Mod-ellAsher_0pdf
3 US Treasury Department National Terrorist Financing Risk Assessment 2015(2015) pp 17ndash18 Matthew Levitt andKelsey Segawa ldquoFindings from the State DepartmentrsquosAnnual Terrorism Report (Part 1) Hezbollah and Iranrdquo The Washington Institute for Near East Policy June 192015 available at httpwwwwashingtoninstituteorgpolicy-analysisviewfindings-from-the-state-departments-annual-terrorism-report-part-1-hezbolla Eli Lake ldquoIranSpends Billions to Prop Up Assadrdquo Bloomberg View June9 2015 available at httpwwwbloombergviewcomarticles2015-06-09iran-spends-billions-to-prop-up-assad
4 Modell and Asher ldquoPushbackrdquo pp 9ndash12
5 US State Department Country Reports on Terrorism 2014 (2015) Chapter 3 available at httpwwwstategovjctrlscrt2014239410htm
6 Jeffrey White ldquoA War Like No Other Israel vs Hezbollah in2015rdquo The Washington Institute for Near East Policy January29 2015 available at httpwwwwashingtoninstituteorgpolicy-analysisviewa-war-like-no-other-israel-vs-hezbol-lah-in-2015 Adam Entous Charles Levinson and Julian EBarnes ldquoHezbollah Upgrades Missile Threat to IsraelrdquoTheWall Street Journal January 2 2014 available at httpwwwwsjcomarticlesSB10001424052702304361604579290613920542386 Dan De Luce ldquoSyrian War Takes Rising Toll onHezbollahrdquo Foreign Policy July 9 2015 available at httpforeignpolicycom20150709syrian-war-takes-rising-toll-on-hezbollah J Dana Stuster ldquoThe Limits of Iranrsquos RegionalAmbitionsrdquo (Washington National Security Network2015) p 3 available at httpnsnetworkorgcmsassetsuploads201507StusterLimitsIransRegionalAmbitionspdf Philip Smyth ldquoThe Shiite Jihad in Syria and Its RegionalEffectsrdquo (Washington The Washington Institute for Near EastPolicy 2015) available at httpswwwwashingtoninstituteorguploadsDocumentspubsPolicyFocus138-v3pdf John
Ismay ldquoThe Most Lethal Weapons Americ ans Faced in IraqrdquoNew York Times At War Blog October 18 2013 availableat httpatwarblogsnytimescom20131018the-most-lethal-weapon-americans-faced-in-iraq Susannah GeorgeldquoBreaking Badrrdquo Foreign Policy November 6 2014 availableat httpforeignpolicycom20141106breaking-badrKirk H Sowell ldquoAfter Ramadi Militias in the LeadrdquoSadaJuly 1 2015 available at httpcarnegieendowmentorgsada20150701after-ramadi-militias-in-leadibb8 StuartWiner ldquoIran boasts of rocket aid to Palestinians Hezbollahrdquo The Times of Israel February 3 2015 available at httpwwwtimesofisraelcomiran-boasts-of-rocket-aid-to-pales-tinians-hezbollah Yara Bayoumy and Mohammed GhobarildquoIranian support seen as crucial for Yemenrsquos Houthisrdquo Re-uters December 15 2014 available at httpwwwreuterscomarticle20141215us-yemen-houthis-iran-insight-idUSKBN0JT17A20141215
7 Somini Sengupta ldquoUN Security Council Bans Sales of Armsto Houthi Fighters in Yemenrdquo The New York Times April 142015 available at httpwwwnytimescom20150415
worldmiddleeastyemen-houthis-saudi-airstrikes-arms-embargohtml
8 The White House ldquoAnnex to US-Gulf Cooperation CouncilCamp David Joint Statementrdquo Press release May 14 2015available at httpswwwwhitehousegovthe-press-of-fice20150514annex-us-gulf-cooperation-council-camp-david-joint-statement
9 Nicole Perlroth ldquoIn Cyberattack on Saudi Firm US Sees IranFiring Backrdquo The New York Times October 23 2012 availableat httpwwwnytimescom20121024businessglobalcyberattack-on-saudi-oil-firm-disquiets-ushtml
10 Christopher M Blanchard ldquoSaudi Arabia Backgroundand US Relationsrdquo (Washington Congressional ResearchService 2015) p 13 available at httpfasorgsgpcrsmid-eastRL33533pdf
11 Andrea Shalal-Esa ldquoUS clears sale of Lockheed missiledefense system to UAE Qatarrdquo Reuters November 6 2012available at httpwwwreuterscomarticle20121106us-lockheed-missiles-mideast-idUSBRE8A507J20121106 United Press International ldquoOman to buy $21B Raytheonmissile systemrdquo May 21 2013 available at httpwwwupicomBusiness_NewsSecurity-Industry20130521Oman-to-buy-21B-Raytheon-missile-system72381369166633 Jeremy Binnie ldquoIDEX 2015 Saudi Qatari THAAD contracts inthe pipelinerdquo IHS Janersquos Defence Weekly February 24 2015available at httpwwwjanescomarticle49344idex-2015-saudi-qatari-thaad-contracts-in-the-pipeline
12 Richard Tomkins ldquoNorthroprsquos battle command systembrings down ballistic missile targetrdquo United Press Inter-national May 28 2015 available at httpwwwupicomBusiness_NewsSecurity-Industry20150528Northrops-battle-command-system-brings-down-ballistic-missile-
target7741432840655
13 Barbara Starr Laura Smith-Spark and Ray Sanchez ldquoAbuSayyaf key ISIS figure in Syria killed in US raidrdquo CNN May17 2015 available at httpwwwcnncom20150516mid-dleeastsyria-isis-us-raid
14 Julie Hirschfield Davis and Matthew Rosenberg ldquoUS Offersto Help Israel Bolster Defenses Yet Iran Nuclear Deal LeavesUneasy Allyrdquo The New York Times July 15 2015 available athttpwwwnytimescom20150716worldmiddleeastus-offers-to-help-israel-bolster-defenses-yet-nuclear-deal-leaves-ally-uneasyhtml
15 Jay Solomon ldquoUS Sanctions Triggered by Plane Sale toIranrsquos Mahan Airrdquo The Wall Street Journal May 21 2015available at httpwwwwsjcomarticlesu-s-sanctions-triggered-by-plane-sale-to-irans-mahan-air-1432250073 Rick Gladstone ldquoSales to Mahan Air Blacklisted by US HangOver Iran Talksrdquo The New York Times June 9 2015 available
at httpwwwnytimescom20150610worldmiddleeastsales-to-mahan-air-blacklisted-by-us-hang-over-iran-talkshtml US Treasury Department ldquoTreasury AnnouncesNew Sanctions Against Iranrdquo Press release May 31 2013available at httpwwwtreasurygovpress-centerpress-releasesPagesjl1965aspx US Treasury DepartmentldquoTreasury Designates Iranian Commercial Airline Linked toIranrsquos Support for Terrorismrdquo Press release October 12 2011available at httpwwwtreasurygovpress-centerpress-releasesPagestg1322aspx
16 US Treasury Department ldquoTreasury Designates IranianCommercial Airline Linked to Iranrsquos Support for TerrorismrdquoMahan Air ldquoOur Route Networkrdquo available at httpwwwmahanaeroendestinationsroute-network (last accessedJuly 2015)
17 Jack Khoury Barak Ravid and Gili Cohen ldquoReport Israelstrikes Syrian military bases Hezbollah targets near Syria-Lebanon borderrdquo Haaretz April 25 2015 available at httpwwwhaaretzcomnewsdiplomacy-defense1653448