Columbia International Affairs Online: Policy Briefs

CIAO DATE: 09/2008

PolicyWatch #1345: Timely Reminder of Iranian Support for Terrorism

Michael Jacobson

February 2008

The Washington Institute for Near East Policy

Abstract

Over the past several years, Iran's nuclear activities have commanded the attention of the international community. But the recent assassination of Hizballah foreign operations chief Imad Mughniyeh is a reminder that Iran has been -- and continues to be -- a key player in global terrorism, as its explicit sponsorship of Hizballah, Hamas, and Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) demonstrates. Moreover, a recent terrorism case in Bahrain suggests that Iran's assistance to al-Qaeda operatives may still be continuing today, echoing the regime's implicit support of the group in the past.