Informed western sources told Asharq Al-Awsat on Wednesday that initial reports from Iraq indicated six Iranian military advisers and 20 members of the Popular Mobilization Forces were killed in an airstrike on the Amerli area of Salahuddin province. About 30 people were wounded.
The sources declined to confirm whether Iranian adviser Haj Ali Iqbalpour was among the dead.
They said Iraqi groups that launched missiles and drones toward Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, and Jordan were operating under the direct command of Quds Force officers from Iran’s Revolutionary Guards.
The officers, described as “advisers,” carry diplomatic passports, the sources said.
They identified the most prominent Iranian advisers directing Iraqi groups linked to what are described as “rogue factions” as:
Haj Hamed, also known as Abdollahi: Head of the Quds Force Esmail Qaani’s deputy for Iraqi affairs, who plays a leading role in that capacity.
Javad Ghaffari: A Quds Force official previously responsible for Syria and Palestine who was transferred to Iraq after recent developments. Many regard him as the most dangerous of the advisers because of his past experience and connections.
Haj Ali Iqbalpour: The official responsible for northern operations, including attacks targeting the Kurdistan region, oil and gas fields and US forces. He oversees groups from several factions, including Iraq’s Harakat al-Nujaba and Kataib Hezbollah, particularly units experienced in launching drones.
Dr. Amir: An economic expert considered one of the senior officials behind attempts to smuggle weapons from Iraq to Lebanon through Syria. He controls several Revolutionary Guards-linked companies tasked with evading US and international sanctions. He is also responsible for transferring cash to Iran and previously oversaw oil-smuggling operations.
The Iranian advisers are deployed across Iraq’s southern and central provinces and maintain key bases near Karbala, Najaf, and Kadhimiya.
They also operate a command center that manages attacks once targets have been selected. Haj Hamed is the most senior among them, alongside Ghaffari.
Citing reports from informed Iraqi sources, the western sources said the advisers use the Iranian Embassy’s cultural attaché building in Baghdad and other bases in neighborhoods around the Green Zone.
The reports said Tehran decided, after the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s government and developments in southern Lebanon, to place allied groups in Iraq and Lebanon under “reliable management.”
It sent Quds Force officers to have the final say on any escalation or on decisions to activate the fronts.
The reports said Iran was unwilling to make even symbolic concessions or take steps suggesting its control over its allies in Iraq and Lebanon had weakened because of US strikes.
They said Hezbollah’s sharper rhetoric against Lebanese President Joseph Aoun and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam came at Iran’s prompting.
The same applied to the tougher position taken by Iraqi factions toward the government of Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi, although some of those groups had spoken of restricting weapons to the state and preventing arms from remaining outside the control of the legitimate authorities.
On Wednesday afternoon, Iran’s Hamshahri newspaper said four Revolutionary Guards military advisers were killed in overnight strikes on Iraq.
