Who are Iran's allies? These nations are tied to Middle Eastern country
Who are Iran's allies? These nations are tied to Middle Eastern country
Natalie Neysa Alund, USA TODAYTue, April 7, 2026 at 4:27 PM UTC
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As the world waits to see whether the U.S. military will launch major strikes on Iran's critical infrastructure, concerns of retaliation from the Middle Eastern country continued to circulate on April 7.
President Donald Trump earlier this week warned that American attacks would leave the country unable to recover if its leaders don't meet a deadline to open the Strait of Hormuz, a vital oil route.
"A whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again. I don’t want that to happen, but it probably will," Trump wrote in an April 7 post on Truth Social.
The president left the door open to a possible eleventh-hour deal with Iran to avoid an escalation, saying U.S. leaders have been privately negotiating with a group of Iranian officials who are "smarter" and "less radicalized" than their predecessors.
People take part in an anti-US and Israeli demonstration in Baghdad, Iraq on April 7, 2026. Iran said critical infrastructure, including two bridges, was struck April 7 by the United States and Israel.
After Trump's declaration, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian announced, "more than 14 million proud Iranians had so far registered to sacrifice their lives to defend Iran."
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"I too have been, am, and will remain devoted to giving my life for Iran," Pezeshkian wrote in a post on X.
So far, the conflict has involved Israel and the United States on one side and Iran on the other. But as the war continues, here is a look at Iran's allies and other countries tied the Middle Eastern nation.
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Who are Iran's allies? -
Russia: Moscow has previously warned that any direct U.S. action on Iranian soil would amount to "a dangerous escalation." In June 2025, President Vladimir Putin met with Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi in Moscow and said there was no justification for the U.S. attack last year and called aggression against Iran groundless.
Last month, Trump said Russia was providing intel to Iran on the location of U.S. forces, the Washington Post and NBC News reported. Reuters reported earlier this month that the country was "ready to contribute to resolving the Iran conflict" and Putin was continuing to talk with regional leaders.
China: The country said it strongly condemned U.S. attacks on Iran, alleging America violated the UN Charter and international law. It called for a ceasefire but so far has not offered Iran any major assistance.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio has previously called on China to prevent Iran from blocking the Strait of Hormuz in retaliation for U.S. airstrikes. China is the biggest buyer of Iranian oil, and the two countries are friendly.
North Korea: The country has previously condemned U.S. strikes against Iran, calling them a mass violation of a sovereign state's security interests and territorial rights, its state media reported.
But Reuters on April 7 reported South Korean lawmakers − citing Seoul's National Intelligence Service − said North Korea appeared to be distancing itself from Iran "carefully managing its public messaging to preserve the possibility of a new relationship with the U.S. after the Iran war."
The Lebanese city of Marjeyoun shows smoke as it rises after an Israeli airstrike targeted the village of Arabsalim on April 7, 2026. The Israeli military said it had completed the deployment of ground troops in southern Lebanon, where it is fighting Iran-backed Hezbollah.Countries tied to Iran -
Lebanon: Iran has ties with Lebanon and militant group Hezbollah, a political party the United States designated a terrorist organization. The group formed in the 1980s during Lebanon's civil war to fight against two Israeli invasions of Lebanese territory, according to the Council on Foreign Relations.
An ally of Hamas, it has vowed to support the group in its fight with Israel.
Syria: Iran and Syria had close ties during the Iran-Iraq war, but those have diminished since the ouster of the President Bashar al-Assad. Rebel forces ousted the dictator's regime, and he fled with his family to Russia in 2024.
Yemen: Iran has been attacking American ships in The Red Sea through their proxies in Yemen, the Houthis. America has responded with air strikes against them. In early May 2025, Trump said America would end airstrikes on Houthi militants in Yemen effective immediately.
Iraq: Iran, which shares a nearly 1,000-mile border with Iraq, has ties to Iraqi militant groups including Kataib Hezbollah, the Badr Organization and Asa'ib Ahl al-Haq. In January 2020, Iran launched 13 ballistic missiles at American troops in Iraq.
Contributing: Christopher Cann with USA TODAY
Natalie Neysa Alund is a senior reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at nalund@usatoday.com and follow her on X @nataliealund.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Who are Iran's allies? Countries with ties to Middle Eastern nation
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