List of Iran's Allies Spreading Across the Globe
Jakarta, CNBC Indonesia – US and Israeli attacks on Iran on Saturday, 28 February 2026, are feared to trigger retaliation from its allies.
Over four decades since the Islamic Revolution, Iran has formed and supported numerous allied military forces throughout the Middle East.
Iran’s Quds Force, part of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), serves as the primary point of contact with allied groups. They are tasked with providing training, weapons, and funding to promote Iran’s objectives.
Fighters from predominantly Shia Muslim countries such as Iraq and Lebanon serve as Iran’s primary proxies, though groups from Palestinian territories, Syria, and Yemen—regions with majority Sunni or mixed populations—have also formed associations with Iran.
The core of this network is Hezbollah, a Lebanese political party and militant group notorious for its terrorist activities, which has helped Iran bridge the Arab-Persian Shia divide. Hezbollah has also assisted Iran in supporting Bashar al-Assad’s regime in Syria’s civil war, where it has worked to mobilise other militias to defend the regime.
What is Iran’s actual motive?
Groups acting on Iran’s behalf frequently attack US forces, and experts say Iran hopes to leverage its expanding network of partners to increase regional hegemony efforts and remove Western power from the region.
In recent years, several analysts have noted that Iran has sought to strengthen cooperation among these forces to form a stronger “axis of resistance” against common enemies.
Israel, the primary ally of the US, frequently faces attacks from Tehran-backed groups including Hamas, Hezbollah, and Palestinian Islamic Jihad. These groups share Iran’s hostility towards Israel.
Support from Tehran has also enabled the Houthi rebel movement in Yemen to launch missiles at Israel and attack commercial vessels with suspected links to Israel in the Red Sea—actions the Houthis describe as solidarity with Hamas amid the escalating conflict with Israel.
During Iran’s first attack on Israeli territory in April 2024, Iranian partners in Iraq, Lebanon, and Yemen fired drones and rockets at Israel to accompany Tehran’s air strike.
To illustrate more clearly, the following regions serve as Iran’s allies:
From the list above, it is evident that Iran has the largest personnel numbers among the five militias in existence.
Looking at Iran’s influence over its allies, it is quite strong in five regions: Bahrain, Iraq, Lebanon, and Syria. Meanwhile, Iran’s influence in Palestinian territories and Yemen tends to be moderate.