Enemy of convenience: Iran's fight against Daesh

Importantly, for any or all of Iran’s strategies to be realized, Daesh does not need to be destroyed.2 However for Daesh, adherents of Shiite ENEMY OF CONVENIENCE: IRAN’S FIGHT AGAINST DAESH 2 >>>>>> Islam like Iran represent a perversion of its faith, the Islamic Awakening.’8 Khamenei’s linkage of and an impediment to attaining their desired Daesh to the US and Europe is a view shared by caliphat [...] In order to defend its As self-appointed champion of the oppressed, Iran’s allies in government in Syria and Iraq while retain- strategy in the Middle East has always been two- ing leverage over them, success for Tehran against pronged, seeking to balance its unique Persian and Daesh focuses not on destroying the group but Shiite ethno-sectarian identity to promote its dis- weakening it. [...] Its support, in the form of tarianism in their regional policy contributed to the both financial assistance and diplomatic cover is the rise of Daesh, which they instead blamed on an main pillar of its strategy to extend and solidify its American plot to weaken Tehran. [...] They made some- while recent estimates of Iranian defense spending thing called al-Qaida and Daesh in order to suggest a figure of $17 billion, in reality, the off-the- confront the Islamic Republic and the movement of books amount is suspected to be much higher. [...] Prominent examples include groups like As- Leader Khamenei, touted that ’No one supported Saib Ahl al-Haq (AAH – The Righteous League), Bashar Assad, the President, up to the extent of the The Badr Brigade, K’taib Hezbollah (KH – The Islamic Republic of Iran.’15 Iran’s willingness to Hezbollah Brigades), and more recently, Harakat replace its long-time al-Nujaba (Movement of the Noble Ones).20 The