Providing a security assistance to regional allies, either state or non-state actors, has become the centrepiece of Iran’s national security strategy since early 2000s. Tehran has introduced a unique approach to security assistance that differs in its objective and delivery models from most established models of security assistance. This lecture breaks down key components of Iran’s model of security assistance and explains how Iran assists the militaries and militant groups in the Middle East. The lecture analyze how Iranian approach to security assistance differs from Western practices. In this lecture we explore the resiliency and future of Iran’s security assistance across in light of systemic limits and external pressures that Tehran faces.

Dr. Abdolrasool (Farzam) Divsallar is a Senior Researcher at the UN Institute for Disarmament Research (UNIDIR) and an Adjunct Professor at the Universita’ Cattolica del Sacro Cuore in Milan. He is also a non-resident scholar at the Middle East Institute (MEI) in Washington. Divsallar’s area of research lies at the intersection of security studies and regional studies. Dr. Divsallar’s focus and interests include military strategies in the Persian Gulf, Iran’s military and foreign affairs, regional security reform, Middle East non-proliferation issues, Russia-Iran relations, and security assistance. He has written and edited eight books, including Struggle for Alliance: Russia and Iran in the Era of War in Ukraine (2024), and has published numerous peer review journal articles.