Iran's IRGC reportedly sets up covert cells in Iraq targeting Gulf states

BAGHDAD, Iraq — Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has reportedly established covert cells inside Iraq to carry out operations against Gulf states hosting U.S. troops, according to an assessment cited in regional reporting. The cells are said to operate under direct IRGC command and have been deployed in several Iraqi cities, including Baghdad, bypassing Tehran's existing militia networks in the country. According to the assessment, the new structure would allow Iran to coordinate potential attacks on U.S. bases in Gulf countries through a separate operational line, independent of the Iran-backed armed groups already active in parts of Iraq. Iranian-backed factions have long maintained a presence in areas such as northern Baghdad, but the new cells are described as a parallel structure answering directly to the IRGC. Security agencies in Gulf Cooperation Council member states have been alerted to the development, the assessment said. Iraq's federal government in Baghdad has not issued an official statement on the report, and no further details were immediately available.