Iran terrorism: the IRGC, Hezbollah, the Houthis and Iranian plots in the West as of October 2026

The short answer. Iran terrorism is the term Western governments use for violence that Iran's state sponsors or directs, mainly through its Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and allied armed groups such as Hezbollah and the Houthis. The United States has listed Iran as a state sponsor of terrorism since 19 January 1984, and Iran denies using proxies for attacks abroad. As of October 2026 the war that the US and Israel began against Iran on 28 February is unresolved.

Key facts #

• Iran has been on the US list of state sponsors of terrorism since 19 January 1984; Cuba and North Korea are the only other countries on it.¹
• The US designated the IRGC a Foreign Terrorist Organization on 15 April 2019 and the EU listed it on 19 February 2026. The UK designated it under a separate State Threats Act power from 17 July 2026.²⁷⁹
• Australia expelled Iran's ambassador on 26 August 2025 after ASIO assessed that the IRGC directed two arson attacks, and listed the IRGC as a state sponsor of terrorism on 27 November 2025.¹²⁸
• Naim Qassem has led Hezbollah since October 2024 and was still giving televised speeches on 28 August 2026.⁴¹⁴
• Hezbollah joined the 2026 war on 2 March. Al Jazeera reported on 25 September that Israeli attacks in southern Lebanon had killed at least 4,386 people since 2 March, a figure it did not attribute.⁴¹⁵
• On 2 October 2026 two Iranian men were charged in the UK over an alleged chlorine-bomb plot in Manchester. Prosecutors say a third person believed to be in Iran directed them.²²

What is Iran terrorism, and is Iran a state sponsor of terrorism? #

The State Department's list of state sponsors of terrorism has carried Iran since 19 January 1984. Cuba (since 2021) and North Korea (since 2017) are the only others.¹ It is a US legal designation that brings sanctions, not a ruling by a court or the UN.

The IRGC was created after the 1979 revolution and answers to the Supreme Leader. It runs Iran's ballistic missiles and oversees the Quds Force, its expeditionary arm that works with armed groups from Lebanon to Yemen.³ The Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) says the 1983 Beirut bombings of the US embassy and of US and French barracks have been attributed to Iran and Hezbollah. It adds that intelligence officials tied the IRGC to the 1994 bombing of a Jewish centre in Buenos Aires, which killed 85 people; Tehran says it was not involved.³⁴

For the wider threat see the guide to Islamist terrorism.

What is the "axis of resistance"? #

The "axis of resistance" is the name for the network of armed groups that Tehran backs against Israel and the West. CFR says some of them often act independently of Iran and of each other.³ Europol's 2026 report names Hezbollah, Hamas, Ansar Allah (the Houthis) and "multiple militias" in Iraq as the key actors.⁷

What is Hezbollah? #

Hezbollah ("Party of God") is a Shia Muslim political party and armed group in Lebanon. It formed during Lebanon's civil war, with funds and training from Iran and the IRGC. Its 1985 manifesto vowed to expel Western powers from Lebanon, called for the destruction of Israel and pledged allegiance to Iran's supreme leader.⁴

It has sat in Lebanon's parliament since 1992, holding 13 of 128 seats after the 2022 election, and it runs health, school and youth services. CFR says it has a reputation as "a state within a state", and that Iran supplies most of its training, weapons and funding.⁴

Who is the Hezbollah leader? #

Naim Qassem is Hezbollah's secretary-general. He was Hassan Nasrallah's deputy, took over after Israel killed Nasrallah in September 2024, and was selected by the group's Shura Council in October 2024.⁴ On 28 August 2026 he gave a televised address rejecting the Israel-Lebanon framework agreement as "illegitimate" and saying Hezbollah "will not surrender".¹⁴ I found no later report that he had been replaced, so he is the leader as of October 2026. CFR notes that his whereabouts are unclear.⁴

On 2 March 2026 Hezbollah fired at Israel, two days after Khamenei's death, and Israel answered with air strikes and a ground invasion.⁴ Lebanon's government declared Hezbollah's military activities illegal the same day, with little effect so far.¹⁶ A framework agreement signed in Washington on 26 June ties Israeli withdrawal to Hezbollah's disarmament. Hezbollah rejects it, and an Observer Research Foundation analysis of 9 October calls the process frozen.¹⁷¹⁸

Which countries list the IRGC, Hezbollah and the Houthis as terrorist? #

Listings differ in both date and legal form. For the full picture see the guide to Islamist terrorist groups and designations.

The Gulf Cooperation Council also treats Hezbollah as a terrorist organisation.⁴ The UK's Terrorism Act list, updated on 7 July 2026, shows Hezbollah but neither the IRGC nor the Houthis.¹⁰

Who are the Houthis, and what are they doing in 2026? #

The Houthis (Ansar Allah) are a Yemeni armed movement that holds territory including the capital, Sanaa. They began attacking ships in late 2023 in protest at Israel's Gaza campaign. In June 2026 they banned Israeli-linked ships from the Red Sea, and in July they declared a naval blockade of Saudi Arabia. In September they seized Mokha and islands near the Bab el-Mandeb strait, and in October a Saudi-backed Yemeni government counteroffensive began.⁶ CFR says some reporting indicates IRGC advisers have helped their Red Sea campaign.⁶

Which Iranian plots have been alleged in Europe and Australia? #

Europol's 2026 report says there were indications that Iranian actors and proxies, "including through criminal networks", were involved in a series of incidents across several EU states.⁷ Most cases below are allegations, not convictions. The week 41 briefing covers Manchester; earlier attacks are in Islamist terrorist attacks in Europe.

• Manchester (2026). Salam Ahmadyan, 36, and Rahman Salehi, 34, both Iranian nationals, were arrested on 20 September and charged on 2 October with preparing acts of terrorism. Prosecutors say they scouted a synagogue and the Jewish Museum and were directed by a third person believed to be in Iran, who gave instructions for a chlorine bomb. The AP and CBS reports do not say the Iranian state or the IRGC directed the plot, and police believe it was isolated.²²²³
• RAF Fairford (27 September 2026). Five British men were arrested near the US-run air base; police found no explosives and the men were bailed. Prime Minister Andy Burnham said there were "strong indications that Iran played a part", and Iran's London embassy rejected that.²⁴²³
• IMCR network. The UK government says IRGC Quds Force members "almost certainly directed" attacks across Europe by a group called the Islamic Movement of the Companions of the Right (IMCR). Al Jazeera reported that it claimed seven attacks on Jewish sites in the UK in 2026.⁹²⁵
• MI5. Director-General Ken McCallum said in October 2024 that MI5 and police had handled 20 "potentially lethal" Iran-backed plots since January 2022, and in October 2025 that MI5 had tracked more than 20.²⁶²⁷
• Germany. Federal prosecutors indicted a Danish national, Ali S., in May 2026, saying he worked for the IRGC's intelligence service and gathered information on Jewish figures. Iran's embassy called the allegations "unfounded".²⁸
• Australia. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said ASIO had assessed that Iran directed attacks on a Sydney kosher restaurant (October 2024) and Melbourne's Adass Israel Synagogue (6 December 2024). Foreign Minister Penny Wong said the expulsion of Ambassador Ahmad Sadeghi was Australia's first of an ambassador since the Second World War. ASIO's Mike Burgess said the IRGC acted "through a series of cut-outs" but that he did not believe Iran was behind every anti-Jewish attack.¹² Three men had been charged over the synagogue fire by 19 June 2026; Tehran denies the allegations.¹³ See Islamism in Australia.
• United States. On 29 July 2026 a federal jury convicted Hadi Matar of terrorism offences, including attempting to provide material support to Hezbollah, over the 2022 stabbing of Salman Rushdie.²⁹ See Islamist terrorism in the US.

How does the 2026 Iran war change the picture? #

The US and Israel attacked Iran on 28 February 2026, killing Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei; his son Mojtaba Khamenei was named successor in early March.¹⁹²⁰ Iran closed the Strait of Hormuz on 8 March, and a ceasefire began on 8 April.¹⁹ It collapsed in July, and the US has blockaded Iranian ports since 14 July. President Trump has publicly rejected Iran's late-September offer to reopen Hormuz in return for a lifted blockade, while indirect talks continue.²¹ Hezbollah and the Houthis both entered the war in March.⁴⁶ Europol warns that pressure on Iran and its network may raise the risk of direct attacks in the EU.⁷

What cuts the other way? #

• Iran's people are its main victims. CFR reports that mass protests in January 2026 met extreme force, and that Ali Khamenei himself said "thousands of people" were killed.³
• Relatively few Lebanese back Hezbollah. CFR cites 2024 Arab Barometer polling for this, and Lebanon's government has declared its military activity illegal.⁴¹⁶ Hezbollah's own position, per ORF, is that it will not disarm until Israeli troops leave Lebanon.¹⁸
• This is not Sunni jihadism. Hezbollah sent about 7,000 fighters to Syria to back Bashar al-Assad against largely Sunni rebels, and Iran-aligned Iraqi militias helped roll back the Islamic State group, CFR notes.⁴³ The threat from Islamic State and al-Qaeda has different actors, motives and remedies.
• Attribution is contested. Iran denies directing plots abroad and says it had no role in Buenos Aires in 1994. Nothing in the Manchester or Fairford reports I checked is yet a finding of state direction.³
• The Houthis have local aims. CFR calls them an "independent partner" of Iran.⁶
• Islam is not the issue. Iran's government is an Islamist state, and its most visible opponents are Iranians, many of them Muslim. Blaming Shia Muslims, or Muslims in general, for the IRGC is a mistake.

Questions people ask #

Is Iran a state sponsor of terrorism? #

The United States says so. The State Department has listed Iran as a state sponsor of terrorism since 19 January 1984, alongside Cuba and North Korea. The IRGC is listed as a terrorist organisation by the US and the EU, and it supports Hezbollah, the Houthis and other armed groups. Iran denies using proxies for attacks abroad and describes its allies as a resistance front against Israel and the West.

Who is the leader of Hezbollah? #

Naim Qassem has been Hezbollah's secretary-general since October 2024, when its Shura Council chose him after Israel killed Hassan Nasrallah in September 2024. He was Nasrallah's deputy and has belonged to the movement since its founding. As of 28 August 2026 he was still making televised speeches, and he has rejected the June 2026 Israel-Lebanon framework agreement, which links Israeli withdrawal to Hezbollah's disarmament.

Is Hezbollah a terrorist organisation? #

It depends on the country. The United States has listed Hezbollah since 1997, the UK since 2019, Germany since 2020 and Australia since 10 December 2021. The EU lists only its military wing, and the Gulf Cooperation Council treats it as terrorist. In Lebanon it is also a political party with seats in parliament, though relatively few Lebanese support it.

What is the axis of resistance? #

The axis of resistance is the name for the network of armed groups that Tehran backs against Israel and the West. Its main members are Hezbollah in Lebanon, the Houthis in Yemen, several militias in Iraq and, outside the Shia world, Hamas in Gaza. Europol names Hezbollah, Hamas, Ansar Allah and Iraqi militias as the key actors. Members often act independently of Iran and of each other.

Are the Houthis a terrorist group? #

The United States has designated the Houthis, listed as Ansarallah, a Foreign Terrorist Organization since 5 March 2025, and Australia listed them on 24 May 2024. The UK's Terrorism Act list did not include them as of 7 July 2026. They are a Yemeni movement that CFR calls an independent partner of Iran, and they run the Red Sea and Saudi blockade campaigns.

Has Iran plotted attacks in Europe and Australia? #

Officials say so, but courts have settled few of these cases. ASIO assessed that the IRGC directed two arson attacks on Jewish sites in Australia in 2024, and Australia expelled Iran's ambassador. British and German authorities allege Iranian-directed plots, and MI5 says it has tracked more than 20 potentially lethal Iran-backed plots. Iran denies the allegations. Reports on the 2026 Manchester case do not attribute it to the Iranian state.

Related guides #

• Islamist terrorism: the hub guide: definitions, trends and where the threat sits.
• Hamas: the Palestinian group that Iran backs.
• Islamist terrorist groups and designations: who is listed where.
• Islamist terrorist attacks in Europe: plots and attacks since 2015.
• Islamist terrorism in the UK: the British record, including 2026.
• Islamic State: the Sunni jihadist group Iran's network opposes.

Cite as: The Analyst, "Iran terrorism: IRGC, Hezbollah, Houthis and plots in 2026", Fighting Islamists, updated 13 October 2026. https://fightingislamists.com/hezbollah-iran.html

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