TEHRAN, Iran, June 19 (World Daily Times) — The significance of the latest Reuters report is not just the attacks it describes, but the method behind them. Citing eight Iraqi sources, including military and security officials and local militia commanders, Reuters reported that Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps set up covert new cells in Iraq to carry out drone strikes on Gulf countries that host American forces.
If accurate, the move would mark a shift in how Iran-backed networks operate in the region. Instead of relying on larger, well-known militia structures, the sources said the IRGC created smaller units meant to avoid detection and preserve deniability. Iraqi officials quoted by Reuters said that approach could make blame harder to assign and reduce pressure on Baghdad to move against the main Iran-aligned militias.
According to the report, the cells were built outside the command structure of the Islamic Resistance in Iraq, an umbrella group of hardline Shi’ite factions with thousands of fighters. Some members were drawn from that network, the Iraqi sources said, but the new groups reported directly to the IRGC. Reuters said three or four cells were involved, with about 10 elite Iraqi Shi’ite fighters in each one.
The same Iraqi sources said the cells launched at least seven drone attacks from desert areas near Basra and Samawa in southern Iraq. The targets were said to be sites in Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates between April 20 and May 17. Three Iraqi security sources told Reuters they relied on human intelligence, intercepted communications and evidence gathered from the launch sites.
Taken together, the allegations point to a broader regional risk: small, hidden units can be harder to track than larger proxy forces, especially when they operate from remote areas and are tied into a wider network of armed groups. That makes cross-border attacks more difficult to deter and investigate, particularly when governments involved are not publicly naming suspects or filing charges.
The report also fits a familiar pattern in the Gulf security file. Iranian-linked groups have long been accused of using proxies to pressure rivals while keeping Iran’s role in the background. The Iraqi officials cited by Reuters said the new cells were designed to keep that distance intact, deflect blame from the main Iran-backed factions and shield the IRGC from direct responsibility.
No arrests, charging documents or court records were included in the material provided for this report. The supplied snippet also did not include responses from the IRGC, the Iraqi government, or the governments of Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and the UAE, so the allegations remain unconfirmed in the public record described here.
