Iran Establishes Military Presence in Iraq

Mustafa Ozer/AFP/Getty Images

Iran Establishes Military Presence in Iraq

Iran has set up heavily-armed military bases in the Kurdish area of northern Iraq, according to a May 16 report from Iraqi media.

Citing eyewitnesses and field reporters, the report says Iranian defense forces have established bases in the Qandil Mountain area many miles inside of Iraq. Stratfor Vice President of Strategic Intelligence Reva Bhalla said the bases represent “a significant advancement for Iranian military operations in this region.”

The report will not come as a great surprise to longtime readers of the Trumpet, which has predicted for over 20 years that Iraq will fall under Iranian influence. In the December 1994 issue, editor in chief Gerald Flurry wrote an article called, “Is Iraq About to Fall to Iran?” in which he said: “The Shiite Arabs compose the majority of the population in Iraq. … The Shiite Iraqis have been encouraged to revolt by Iran, which is almost totally Shiite. … Can you imagine the power [the Iranians] would have if they gained control of Iraq?”

Less than a decade later, the United States delivered an invaluable gift to Iran by invading Iraq and removing the primary obstacle preventing Iranian dominance in the region: Saddam Hussein. Ten years on, it is clear that the significance of this gift was not lost on Iran. Hussein is gone, Iran is filling the power void, and the U.S. does not have the will to stop Tehran’s flourishing regional clout.

Mr. Flurry’s accurate forecast of these momentous trends was based on the sure word of Bible prophecy: More than 2,500 years ago, the Prophet Daniel wrote that, in our modern times, a powerful Islamist bloc would grow to dominate the Middle East (Daniel 11:40-41). The head of this Islamist bloc is Iran, and the reports about its military bases in Iraq are the latest of many proofs of its expanding power.

To learn how to watch these pivotal events unfold through the lens of Bible prophecy, read The King of the South.