US President Ronald Reagan once declared that “Terrorism is the preferred weapon of weak and evil men.” While the ideological descendants of President Reagan love to incessantly describe Iran as the “#1 State Sponsor of Terrorism,” the US and its Western allies have, hypocritically, supported terrorists when it benefits them. The most obvious example of this is the West’s treatment of Osama bin Laden. During the Afghan-Soviet War, the Western press praised bin Laden as an “Anti-Soviet warrior” with “high cheekbones, narrow eyes and long brown robe” who “looks every inch the mountain warrior of mujahedin legend.”
With the outbreak of the Iran war, Western governments are again legitimizing groups designated as terrorists by Tehran. This raises an uncomfortable question: if Iran’s support for militant groups which target Israel qualifies as state terrorism, does the West’s support for militant groups which target Iran similarly qualify as state terrorism?
On March 4th, an Ahwazi resistance group called the “Falcons of Ahwaz” raided an Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps base and stole weapons. On March 10th, an ideologically similar group called the “Ahwaz Freedom Brigades” declared an armed uprising against the Iranian government and encouraged other Ahwazi nationalists to join in the rebellion. Ahwazi nationalists and separatists seek to create an independent state for Ahwazi Arabs in the oil-rich Khuzestan region located in southwest Iran.
While some Ahwazi nationalist groups are peaceful, others frequently engage in terrorism. For example, groups like the Ahvazi Revolutionary Martyrs’ Brigades have carried out numerous bombings claiming the lives of soldiers and civilians alike. The most deadly terror attack associated with Ahvazi nationalists was an attack on a military parade in 2018. A group called the Patriotic Arab Democratic Movement in Ahwaz and Islamic State claimed responsibility, although the former later denied involvement. In 2023, Iran executed Farajollah Cha’ab (also known as Habib Asyoud), a leader of the Arab Struggle Movement for the Liberation of Ahwaz, whom Iranian authorities considered the mastermind behind the attack.
Although these groups are clearly violent and responsible for terror throughout Iran, since the start of the Iran war, countries in the West have increasingly provided them refuge. On March 7th, 8 groups, including the aforementioned Patriotic Arab Democratic Movement in Ahwaz and Arab Struggle Movement for the Liberation of Ahwaz, participated in a conference in London under the slogan “Ahwaz First.” The conference, organized by the Coordinating Council of the Ahwazi Organizations (CCAO), discussed increasing international visibility among other issues.
The meeting was important for three main reasons. First, at the meeting, the Arab Struggle Movement for the Liberation of Ahwaz, the Ahwazi Arab Struggle Movement, and the Ahwazi Assembly formally joined the CCAO, significantly expanding the Council. Secondly, the public statement officially announcing the “London Declaration” was released on March 10th, which was the same day that, as previously mentioned, the Ahwaz Freedom Brigades declared their uprising against the Iranian government. Finally, the declaration referenced unnamed “political leaders and national figures from several European countries” in attendance at the conference. However, the CCAO does not only lobby European political officials, but also those of the United States.
The London Conference is merely a part of a larger strategy to garner Western support for Ahwazi groups. Just a few days before the London Conference, on March 3rd, the Patriotic Arab Democratic Movement reported that a delegation of Ahwazi representatives participated in a meeting titled “Iran’s Next Step: Toward the 7th Constitutional Assembly,” which was held in the US Congress. The meeting was organized by the National Iranian Congress, a US-based organization whose leader visited the Israeli Knesset in 2012.
Like the meeting in London, no attendees were named; however, it has been reported that “senior U.S. policymakers, Members of Congress, foreign policy experts, legal scholars, and Iranian opposition leaders” were in attendance. Interestingly, this meeting took place a day before the aforementioned raid on an IRGC base by Ahwazi militants. Taking into account the meeting in Congress, the London Conference, and closely timed militant activity, it is prudent to ask if these events are merely coincidental or if they suggest growing Western support for the Ahwazi. Viewed chronologically, the sequence of events is even more striking:
Timeline:
March 3 – U.S. meeting
March 4 – IRGC raid
March 7 – London Conference
March 10 – Ahwaz Freedom Brigades uprising / London Declaration public release
A modern parallel which could be useful in projecting where Western support will go for the Ahwazi is Syria. During the Syrian Civil War, the US formed relationships with anti-Assad rebels, including terrorists. The best example of this is the current President of Syria, Ahmed al-Sharaa. Al-Sharaa was formerly the leader of Al-Qaeda in Syria before forming Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS). HTS was designated as a terrorist group by numerous countries until al-Sharaa began aligning Syria with the West. Subsequently, the UK and US removed this terrorist designation.
One of the ways al-Sharaa and HTS legitimized themselves in the West was through working with NGOs like the White Helmets. The White Helmets (also known as the Syrian Civil Defence) were a search and rescue group that operated in opposition-controlled parts of Syria dominated by HTS. The White Helmets were controversial for their alleged connections to anti-Assad false flag operations, including one which allegedly involved HTS. Similarly, Ahwazi militants are seeking to legitimize their movements through front organizations posing as media or human rights organizations. These front organizations provide a friendly outward face for terrorist groups who seek to use propaganda to attain Western support.
Western governments have often collaborated with militant groups when beneficial. They provide weapons and training, but also political recognition, funding, and international legitimacy. The meetings in Congress and London suggest that Ahwazi activists understand this reality. As shown through the timeline of their militant activity, it is reasonable to ask if these actions are part of a coordinated strategy to garner Western backing. If the West decides to align itself with terrorists to fight Iran, we will become the very weak and evil men President Reagan warned about decades ago.
J.D. Hester is an independent writer born and raised in Arizona. He has previously written for Antiwar.com, Asia Times, AF Post, and other outlets. You can send him an email at josephdhester@gmail.com. Follow him on X (@JDH3ster).
