Khamenei denies Iran has proxy forces

As groups backed by Iran hit problems, the supreme leader says he doesn't need them

Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in Tehran on December 22. EPA

Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has denied his country has proxy forces around the Middle East, warning that if his country chose to "take action" it would not need them anyway.

His remarks came as Iran-backed militias and governments, often referred to as the 'Axis of Resistance' have been hit hard on a variety of fronts. Hezbollah in Lebanon and Hamas in Gaza have been diminished by war with Israel, Yemen's Houthis are being attacked by the US and UK, and former Syrian president Bashar Al Assad lost power two weeks ago to a lightning offensive led by rebel group Hayat Tahrir Al Sham.

"The Islamic Republic does not have a proxy force. Yemen fights because it has faith. Hezbollah fights because the power of faith draws it into the field. Hamas and [Islamic] Jihad fight because their beliefs compel them to do so. They do not act as our proxy," Mr Khamenei told a group of visitors in Tehran.

"They [the Americans] keep saying that the Islamic Republic has lost its proxy forces in the region! This is another mistake," he said, adding: "If one day we want to take action, we do not need a proxy force."

Mr Al Assad's downfall will affect Iran in more ways than losing what it deemed its closest ally. Throughout Syria's 13-year civil war, Iran was able to funnel weapons to Hezbollah in Lebanon almost unabated. Iran's future relationship with Syria's new leadership under HTS is still in question, but Mr Khamenei predicted "the emergence of a strong, honourable group" in Syria, saying the country's young men had "nothing to lose."

"His university, school, home, street and life are insecure; what should he do? He must stand with strength and determination against those who have designed this insecurity and those who have implemented it, and God willing, he will overcome them."

Shortly after the fall of Mr Al Assad, Mr Khamenei insisted his overthrow had not decreased Iran's strength. “Iran is strong and powerful – and will become even stronger,” he said on December 11.

The supreme leader, who has the final say in major state policies, also accused the US of trying to create chaos and unrest in Iran. "The Iranian nation will trample under its strong feet anyone who accepts America's mercenary role in this regard," he said.