Weaponising sectarian emotions: Iran’s mobilisation strategy during the Syrian conflict (2012–2024)

Abstract

Conventional scholarly explorations into Iran’s involvement in the Syrian turmoil (2012–2024) primarily highlight geopolitical motivations, particularly Tehran’s strategic interest in preserving the Assad regime. Such analyses, while possessing merit, often overlook the systematic weaponisation of sectarian sentiments by the Islamic Republic to rationalise its intervention and mobilise Shia fighters. This article investigates how emotional convictions–specifically fear, trust, devotion and historical sectarian grievances–were stimulated within the Shia populace amid rising sectarian hostilities intensified by Sunni jihadist rhetoric. Employing an analytically eclectic approach that merges political psychology with geopolitical analysis, this research argues that sectarian emotions were not merely incidental but integral to Iran’s strategic framework. The collapse of Assad’s regime in 2024 underscores the persistent significance of these emotional drivers among combatants motivated by more than mere geopolitical allegiance, but by the protection of what they perceived as revered beliefs. This study provides a nuanced understanding of how sectarian emotions intertwine with rational strategy, offering new insights into the dynamics of Middle Eastern and Levantine conflicts.