Iran's IRGC Launches Drone Attacks on Gulf States From Iraq

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) established three to four secretive cells in Iraq to execute drone attacks against Gulf nations hosting American forces between April 20 and May 17. These cells, each consisting of approximately 10 elite Iraqi Shiite fighters, launched at least seven strikes from desert regions near Basra and Samawa. The operations targeted the Ali Al Salem Air Base and a military terminal at the international airport in Kuwait, as well as sites in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, including a May 17 attack on the Barakah Nuclear Power Plant.

To maintain plausible deniability and bypass traditional militia networks, the IRGC commanded these cells directly. While some operatives were recruited from the Islamic Resistance in Iraq, they operated outside that group's normal chain of command. This tactical shift is viewed as a method to project regional force while conserving resources amid economic strain.

Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi condemned the strikes as criminal acts and is coordinating a joint inquiry with Gulf neighbors to determine if specific incursions originated from Iraqi territory. The U.S. Department of State demanded that the Iraqi government take immediate action to dismantle IRGC-aligned tools and terrorist militias to end these destabilizing activities.