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On April 25, 2022, the Kuwaiti Al-Qabas daily reported that according to "sources in Tehran," Iran had transferred the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) rocket and drone unit to Iraq, to respond from there to the positions of the U.S. in the framework of the nuclear talks in Vienna.[1]
The same sources informed Al-Qabas that Iran's Supreme National Security Council has recently held numerous meetings which included IRGC commander Hossein Salami; IRGC Qods Force commander Esmail Qaani; and the chief Iranian negotiator at the Vienna talks, Ali Baqri Kni, to discuss the "crisis of the nuclear talks" and the refusal of the U.S. to strike the IRGC from the list of designated terrorist groups.
According to the report, the Supreme National Security Council, in particular council secretary Ali Shamkhani, has given a green light to the IRGC to take military action from Iraqi territory in response to the position of the Biden administration.
The sources note that the IRGC rocket and drone unit that was transferred to Iraq was also armed with Shahed 6 (sic)[2] and Shahed 129 drones and Ababil and Wa'ed suicide drones. report also states that Supreme Leader of Iran Ali Khamenei approved the decision of the Supreme National Security Council to take military action in response to the American refusal to remove the IRGC from the list of terrorist groups.
[1] Alqabas.com, April 25, 2022.
[2] The Shahed 6 (sic) drone mentioned in the report not a known name of a drone. It may be that the reference is to the Qods Mohajer-6 drone.
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