Arbaeen as Strategic Defiance: Iran, Iraq, and Pakistan Create Regional Axis of Resistance Against Israeli Aggression

In a region often characterized by fragmentation and externally created instability, the Tehran summit on July 14 between the interior ministers of Iran, Iraq, and Pakistan is an extraordinary portent of unity in the face of adversity. Though the agenda mentioned was security and logistical preparations for the Arbaeen pilgrimage, the deeper strategic and geopolitical messaging was much stronger. Arbaeen is no longer simply a spiritual pilgrimage, it’s rapidly becoming a political affirmation of regional solidarity and resistance.

Held at the Prophet Mohammad Hall in Tehran, the meeting brought together Iran’s Interior Minister Eskandar Momeni, Iraq’s senior security leadership, and Pakistan’s Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi. Though administrative in structure, the summit quickly transcended protocol. Minister Momeni’s remarks were loaded with meaning, from describing the collaboration as “strategic” to directly referencing Israeli “aggression” and thanking Iraq and Pakistan for standing by Iran during its recent 12-day conflict with the Zionist regime.

This was not a typical ministerial coordination session. It was a soft rollout of a regional front based on common religious traditions, shared security concerns, and converging foreign policy inclinations.

Arbaeen as the Soft Power Lever

Historically, Arbaeen has been a symbol of resistance, resistance against tyranny, resistance against oppression, and resistance against foreign rule. The martyrdom of Imam Hussain (AS) at Karbala is not only a religious phenomenon, it is a political allegory that has been adopted throughout the Shia world and ever more relevant among Sunni populations too. The pilgrimage, attracting millions from all over the world, including more than 300,000 from Pakistan, has now also become a diplomatic channel.

Iran’s characterization of the event as an “axis of resistance convergence” plays two roles. One is to associate religious piety with political solidarity. The other is to send a blunt message to enemies, above all Israel and its allies, that the region’s greatest Muslim powers are aligning themselves more closely for collaboration. The focus on “dignity and security” of pilgrims is not just an administrative issue but one of sovereignty and regional stability.

Pakistan’s Strategic Calibration

If anything, the most interesting part of this summit was the role played by Pakistan. Traditionally famous for its delicate balancing act between the Gulf sheikhdoms, the West, and its Iranian neighbor, Islamabad’s tone in Tehran was decidedly forceful. Minister Mohsin Naqvi not only reiterated bilateral cooperation, he celebrated Iran’s “triumph against the Zionist regime,” a framing of words previously unpossible in Pakistan’s official lexicon just a few years ago.

More significantly, Naqvi conveyed a message from Pakistan’s Prime Minister and Army Chief to the senior advisor of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Ali Akbar Velayati. Such a degree of civil-military coordination in Pakistan’s regional diplomacy indicates a nascent consensus within Islamabad’s strategic establishment. Coordination with Iran and Iraq on matters such as security for Arbaeen and resistance against Israeli militarism is not just possible, but desirable.

Pakistan’s increasing involvement in the Arbaeen axis enables it to recast its role from a passive spectator of West Asian geopolitics to an active player in the formation of a multipolar, post-American regional order.

Toward a Post-Israeli-Aggression Regionalism

It would be foolish to consider the Tehran summit an independent event. It occurs just weeks following Israel’s air campaign against top IRGC officers on Iranian territory, a transgression that was immediately reciprocated by Iran. In that context, the summit is not merely an exhibition of regional solidarity, but an implicit warning that further Israeli adventurism will be met with coordinated, if not shared, regional actions.

Iranian leaders have long made the case that pilgrim security and regional security are part and parcel of each other. Within this context, any aggression directed at Iran, especially from Israel, is not merely a threat to the Islamic Republic but to all who engage in or endorse Arbaeen. This reinterpretation puts Israel’s attack within a larger religious and civilizational context, where religious unity as deterrence becomes a reality.

Iraq’s involvement is also important. With its hosting of Arbaeen, and its nation whose sovereignty has been repeatedly breached by Israeli-supported incursions and US military excess, Baghdad’s adherence to trilateral security measures constitutes a move away from Western reliance and towards strategically independent choices.

 A New Geopolitical Pilgrimage

As the 2025 Arbaeen comes near, the pilgrimage will become something more than a religious undertaking. It is transforming into an emblem of pan-Islamic unity in the face of shared adversaries. Whether via intensified consular coordination, collaborative border management, or upper-level political communication, the Iran-Iraq-Pakistan trilateral alignment is a tectonic realignment of regional diplomacy, one that is based on religion but geared towards long-term strategic realignment.

If Iran, Iraq, and Pakistan keep riding this wave, the Arbaeen summit will not only be remembered as a religious logistics achievement but also for establishing the foundation of a new regional order in which West Asian security is no longer outsourced but self-managed and spiritually grounded.