Mohammad Khajouei, in an interview with the Strategic Council on Foreign Relations website, stated: The Axis of Resistance has neither collapsed nor weakened, but today it is in a transitional phase. According to Khajouei, this axis is redefining itself. He explained: “In any case, the events that occurred after the October 7 operations and the actions carried out by the Israeli regime with the cooperation of the United States have brought about changes in the regional arena, and a new situation has emerged in the regional order.”
The expert continued: “The Israeli regime has tactically been able to achieve certain gains for itself, but it has not yet been able to consolidate these gains.”
Regarding the status of the Axis of Resistance, he explained: “The components of the Axis of Resistance have suffered damages over the past two years, and the fall of Bashar al-Assad also dealt a blow to the axis. Moreover, the Axis of Resistance’s combat capabilities and internal cohesion have been affected. The supply chain and logistical capacities within this axis have also suffered, but this does not necessarily mean collapse. Therefore, although resistance groups have been somewhat weakened, they have still managed to maintain their survival and are striving, considering regional dynamics, to pass through this stage and revive their role.”
Khajouei, emphasizing that the most important factor linking resistance groups in the region is ideological unity, stated that confrontation with the Israeli regime and the United States has created unity among the resistance components. As long as the provocative actions of the Israeli regime and the U.S. continue in the region, conditions will exist for the formation, strengthening, and continuation of the role of resistance groups.
Regarding the new roles of Iraq and Syria in regional equations, he said that Iraq is increasingly trying to become a bridge between regional and extra-regional powers rather than a field of confrontation between them. He added: “Years ago, Iraq was the arena of such confrontations, and today, with the efforts of the country’s leaders, there is an attempt to prevent Iraq from being in this situation and to enable it to act even as an intermediary. As a result, over the past two years, despite very tense regional conditions, Iraq has generally maintained relatively stable security conditions compared to the past and compared to many other regional countries.” The West Asia affairs expert believes that it appears the selection and efforts of the country’s leaders are aimed at preventing the country from entering regional conflicts and enabling it to act as a bridge between different parties. He continued: “This role, of course, is challenging and presents the Iraqi government with challenging choices. However, Iraq is pursuing this role in the region today.”
Regarding Syria, Khajouei explained that, after the fall of Bashar al-Assad, the country seems to be in a transitional phase, and the new government is seeking to revive its role. The country is so preoccupied with internal issues that it is still too early to say that Syria is a regional actor, and the government does not yet control all its territories. He emphasized: “Moreover, some foreign powers still occupy parts of its territory, and Turkey and the Israeli regime are also present there. Inside Syria, different factions control parts of the country.”
According to this expert, the most important issue Syria faces today is the government’s revival. Until that occurs, Syria will not be able to play a regional role.
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