Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has established new secret cells in Iraq to carry out attacks on US military targets stationed in Gulf countries, according to a Reuters report citing eight Iraqi sources. The report states that three to four such cells have been formed, each consisting of about ten selected Iraqi Shia fighters. Between April 20 and May 17, these groups allegedly launched at least seven drone strikes from desert areas near Basra and Samawah toward targets in Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates.

Several members of these new units reportedly came from the group known as the Islamic Resistance in Iraq. The sources said the cells operate outside the group’s usual command structure and report directly to the IRGC. Among the eight sources were two Iraqi military officers, one security official, and five local militia commanders.

According to five militia commanders, the creation of these new Iraqi cells aims to maintain Iran’s regional influence at a time when its proxy forces and domestic resources have significantly weakened.