Iran Summary – March 2024

March 2024 Summary: To view JINSA’s work related to the Israel-Gaza War, click here. Iran- backed groups did not carry out any attacks on U.S. personnel in Iraq, Syria, or Jordan in March. This marks the lowest number of Iran-backed attacks against U.S. personnel in the region since Tehran’s proxies restarted their attacks after Hamas’s October 7, 2023 invasion of Israel. The Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen, however, continued to escalate maritime attacks and disrupt international trade, conducting a record 36 such attacks in March, including the first attack to result in civilian casualties since the Houthis began their campaign. In another indication of the deepening ties between Iran, Russia, and China, Bloomberg reported that the Houthis promised safe passage through the Red Sea to Russia and China in exchange for political support. However, days later, the Houthis fired five ballistic missiles at a Chinese ship transiting the Red Sea, in apparent violation of their reported agreement. Iran held its first parliamentary elections since the 2022 nationwide anti-regime protests, recording record low voter turnout amid calls to boycott the elections.

Click here to read the March 2024 Iran Summary.