Involvement of foreign militias in the suppression of protests in Iran
A significant aspect of political repression in the Islamic Republic of Iran has been the deployment of non-Iranian militias in violent crackdowns against Iranian civilians during major protests. These foreign militias are normally proxy forces backed by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), which sustains a coalition called the Axis of Resistance to fight in wars across the Middle East, generally consisting of Shia Muslims in armed groups from Lebanon, Iraq, Yemen, Pakistan, and Afghanistan.