The Times has reported that, as Iran’s regime prepares for nuclear negotiations with Washington, the regime has, for the first time, transferred long-range surface-to-surface missiles to its proxy forces in Iraq. Intelligence sources say these missiles are capable of targeting parts of Europe.
In the report published on Tuesday, The Times, citing regional intelligence sources, stated that the missiles were transferred to Iraq last week by the Aerospace Force of the regime’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
According to The Times and quoted analysts, this move could be interpreted as an effort by the Iranian regime to strengthen its bargaining position ahead of upcoming negotiations with the United States.
According to the report, two other shorter-range missiles—the Quds-351 cruise missile and the Jamal-69 ballistic missile—were also smuggled into Iraq. The Times’ intelligence sources emphasized that the missiles transferred have ranges sufficient to threaten targets in Europe.
A regional intelligence source told The Times that the Iranian regime has recently provided missiles—including longer-range models—to Shia militias in Iraq, which had never before received such weapons. This was described as a desperate move by Iran’s regime that endangers Iraq’s stability.
Experts told The Times that the Iranian regime is scrambling to reclaim its position in the region, which has been significantly weakened in recent years.
According to these experts, the loss of air defense systems around nuclear sites following clashes with Israel in October 2024, the defeat of Tehran’s proxy forces such as Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon, and the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime in Syria are among the developments that have weakened Iran’s regional standing.
On Monday, April 7, at the White House, U.S. President Donald Trump, in a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, stated that if the negotiations are not successful, “I actually think it will be a very bad day for Iran.” These negotiations are scheduled to take place in Oman.
The Houthis in Yemen and Iranian regime-backed militias in Iraq are recognized as the last effective proxy forces of the regime in the region. In recent weeks, the United States has targeted key Houthi positions.
A Shia politician close to the Iraqi government told Reuters that several Iran-backed groups intended to respond positively to Washington’s request for disarmament in order to avoid confrontation with the United States.
However, shortly after those remarks were published, a political source in Iraq told Al Arabiya that, in reality, the armed groups had refused to disarm.
A diplomatic source in the region also said that the recent efforts over the past 48 hours to project an image of militia disarmament were a deception.
According to The Times, analysts believe the Iranian regime has resorted to its remaining proxy forces to preserve its influence in the Middle East, though some of these groups are reassessing their strategies.
However, the Iranian regime has no incentive to abandon its proxy tools, as it benefits from them both in destabilizing the region and in exploiting opportunities that arise in ungoverned areas—such as smuggling and organized crime.
Since its inception, the Iranian regime has fueled regional instability by escalating and supporting terrorism, using it as a tool to maintain its own grip on power. It now appears that, after 20 years of fruitless negotiations with the Iranian regime, the West has concluded that the only effective response is a policy of firmness—not appeasement.
