{"id":1718,"date":"2026-03-08T19:02:36","date_gmt":"2026-03-08T19:02:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/iranians.global\/news\/?p=1718"},"modified":"2026-03-08T19:04:51","modified_gmt":"2026-03-08T19:04:51","slug":"who-are-irans-allies-and-would-any-help-if-the-us-joins-israel-in-its-war","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/iranians.global\/news\/who-are-irans-allies-and-would-any-help-if-the-us-joins-israel-in-its-war\/","title":{"rendered":"Who are Iran\u2019s allies? And would any help if the US joins Israel in its war?"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Ali Mamouri, Research Fellow, Middle East Studies, Deakin University<\/strong><\/a> <\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\n

As Israel continues its attacks on Iran, US President Donald Trump and other global leaders are hardening their stance against the Islamic Republic. <\/p>\n

While considering a US attack on Iran\u2019s nuclear sites, Trump has threatened Iran\u2019s supreme leader<\/a>, claiming to know his location and calling him \u201can easy target\u201d. He has demanded \u201cunconditional surrender\u201d from Iran.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, countries such as Germany, Canada, the UK<\/a> and Australia<\/a> have toughened their rhetoric, demanding Iran fully abandon its nuclear program.<\/p>\n

So, as the pressure mounts on Iran, has it been left to fight alone? Or does it have allies that could come to its aid?<\/p>\n

Has Iran\u2019s \u2018axis of resistance\u2019 fully collapsed?<\/h2>\n

Iran has long relied on a network of allied paramilitary groups across the Middle East as part of its deterrence strategy. This approach<\/a> has largely shielded it from direct military strikes by the US or Israel, despite constant threats and pressure.<\/p>\n

This so-called \u201caxis of resistance<\/a>\u201d includes groups such as Hezbollah in Lebanon, the Popular Mobilisation Forces (PMF) in Iraq, the Houthi militants in Yemen, as well as Hamas in Gaza, which has long been under Iran\u2019s influence to varying degrees. Iran also supported Bashar al-Assad\u2019s regime in Syria before it was toppled last year.<\/p>\n

\n
\"\"<\/div>
\n Members of the Popular Mobilisation Forces (PMF) carry images of comrades killed in US airstrikes in western Iraq in 2024.<\/span>
\n Ahmed Jalil\/EPA<\/span><\/span>
\n <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

These groups have served both as a regional buffer and as a means for Iran to project power without direct engagement.<\/p>\n

However, over the past two years, Israel has dealt significant blows to the network.<\/p>\n

Hezbollah \u2014 once Iran\u2019s most powerful non-state ally \u2014 has been effectively neutralised after months of attacks by Israel. Its weapons stocks<\/a> were systematically targeted and destroyed across Lebanon. And the group suffered a major psychological and strategic loss with the assassination of its most influential leader, Hassan Nasrallah<\/a>.<\/p>\n

In Syria, Iranian-backed militias have been largely expelled following the fall of Assad\u2019s regime, stripping Iran of another key foothold in the region.<\/p>\n

That said, Iran maintains strong influence in Iraq and Yemen. <\/p>\n

The PMF in Iraq, with an estimated 200,000 fighters<\/a>, remains formidable. The Houthis have similarly sized contingent of fighters<\/a> in Yemen.<\/p>\n

Should the situation escalate into an existential threat to Iran \u2014 as the region\u2019s only Shiite-led state \u2014 religious solidarity could drive these groups to become actively involved. This would rapidly expand the war across the region.<\/p>\n

The PMF, for instance, could launch attacks on the 2,500 US troops stationed<\/a> in Iraq. Indeed, the head of Kata\u2019ib Hezbollah, one of the PMF\u2019s more hardline factions, promised to do so<\/a>:<\/p>\n

\n

If America dares to intervene in the war, we will directly target its interests and military bases spread across the region without hesitation. <\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Iran itself could also target US bases in the Persian Gulf countries with ballistic missiles, as well as close the Strait of Hormuz, through which about 20% of the world\u2019s oil supply flows. <\/p>\n

\n
\"\"<\/div>
\n Houthi supporters hold anti-US and Israel placards and wave the flags of the Iran-backed \u2018axis of resistance\u2019 during a protest in Yemen\u2019s capital.<\/span>
\n Yahya Arhab\/EPA<\/span><\/span>
\n <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Will Iran\u2019s regional and global allies step in?<\/h2>\n

Several regional powers maintain close ties with Iran. The most notable among them is Pakistan \u2014 the only Islamic country with a nuclear arsenal.<\/p>\n

For weeks, Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei has tried to align<\/a> Iran more closely with Pakistan in countering Israel\u2019s actions in Gaza. <\/p>\n

In a sign of Pakistan\u2019s importance in the Israel-Iran war, Trump has met<\/a> with the country\u2019s army chief in Washington as he weighs a possible strike on its neighbour.<\/p>\n

Pakistan\u2019s leaders have also made their allegiances very clear. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has offered<\/a> Iran\u2019s president \u201cunwavering solidarity\u201d in the \u201cface of Israel\u2019s unprovoked aggression\u201d. And Pakistani Defence Minister Khawaja Asif recently said<\/a> in an interview Israel will \u201cthink many times before taking on Pakistan\u201d. <\/p>\n

These statements signal a firm stance without explicitly committing to intervention. <\/p>\n

Yet, Pakistan has also been working to de-escalate tensions. It has urged other Muslim-majority nations and its strategic partner, China, to intervene diplomatically before the violence spirals into a broader regional war.<\/p>\n

In recent years, Iran has also made diplomatic overtures<\/a> to former regional rivals, such as Saudi Arabia and Egypt, in order to improve relations. <\/p>\n

These shifts have helped rally broader regional support for Iran. Nearly two dozen Muslim-majority countries \u2014 including some that maintain diplomatic relations with Israel \u2014 have jointly condemned<\/a> Israel\u2019s actions and urged de-escalation. <\/p>\n

It\u2019s unlikely, though, that regional powers such as Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and Turkey would support Iran materially, given their strong alliances with the US.<\/p>\n

Iran\u2019s key global allies, Russia<\/a> and China<\/a>, have also condemned Israel\u2019s strikes. They have previously shielded Tehran from punitive resolutions<\/a> at the UN Security Council.<\/p>\n

However, neither power appears willing \u2014 at least for now \u2014 to escalate the confrontation by providing direct military support to Iran or engaging in a standoff with Israel and the US. <\/p>\n

Theoretically, this could change if the conflict widens and Washington openly pursues a regime change strategy in Tehran. Both nations have major geopolitical and security interests in Iran\u2019s stability. This is due to Iran\u2019s long-standing \u201cLook East\u201d policy<\/a> and the impact its instability could have on the region and the global economy. <\/p>\n

However, at the current stage, many analysts believe both are unlikely<\/a> to get involved directly.<\/p>\n

Moscow stayed on the sidelines when Assad\u2019s regime collapsed in Syria, one of Russia\u2019s closest allies in the region. Not only is it focused on its war in Ukraine, Russia also wouldn\u2019t want<\/a> to endanger improving ties with the Trump administration. <\/p>\n

China has offered Iran strong rhetorical support, but history suggests it has little interest<\/a> in getting directly involved in Middle Eastern conflicts.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

This article written by Ali Mamouri, Research Fellow, Middle East Studies, Deakin University<\/strong> and is republished from The Conversation<\/a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Ali Mamouri, Research Fellow, Middle East Studies, Deakin University As Israel continues its attacks on Iran, US President Donald Trump and other global leaders are hardening their stance against the Islamic Republic. While considering a US attack on Iran\u2019s nuclear sites, Trump has threatened Iran\u2019s supreme leader, claiming to know his location and calling […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":179,"featured_media":1719,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_bbp_topic_count":0,"_bbp_reply_count":0,"_bbp_total_topic_count":0,"_bbp_total_reply_count":0,"_bbp_voice_count":0,"_bbp_anonymous_reply_count":0,"_bbp_topic_count_hidden":0,"_bbp_reply_count_hidden":0,"_bbp_forum_subforum_count":0,"inline_featured_image":false,"fifu_image_url":"","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[117],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1718","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-editorials"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/iranians.global\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1718","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/iranians.global\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/iranians.global\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/iranians.global\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/179"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/iranians.global\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1718"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/iranians.global\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1718\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/iranians.global\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1719"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/iranians.global\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1718"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/iranians.global\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1718"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/iranians.global\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1718"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}