Iran has launched its latest armed force: the United Shia Liberation Army (usla). The move, announced on August 18, has stoked more fear and uncertainty concerning Iran’s role in the post-America Middle East.

A hodgepodge of Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (irgc) crossed with local Shiite militia, the usla is poised to violently enhance Iran’s influence in the region.

The Front Line

The formation of the usla is particularly concerning to the region’s Sunnis.

During an interview with Mashregh News Agency, former irgc Brig. Gen. Mohammed Ali Falaki outlined the usla’s areas of focus. Its main theaters of combat would be Yemen, Syria and Iraq.

All three countries are rife with sectarian violence. All three represent the front line in the regional power struggle between the Middle East’s Sunni and Shia Muslims. In hotspots already ablaze with Iranian arms, aid and manpower, the creation of the usla will only add more fuel to these sectarian fires.

Yemen, sitting on Saudi Arabia’s doorstep, is currently home to a fierce battle between Iranian-backed Houthi rebels and Saudi-led forces. The rebels have managed to hold their ground against the Saudi-led coalition.

The Houthis are not tied as closely to Iran as many Shiites in Syria and Iraq are, but that could now change. The arrival of the usla in Yemen looks set to intensify the conflict, in effect forcing the Houthis into deeper cooperation with Iran.

“The formation of such an army would only exacerbate the conflict in Yemen. Houthis are one of the most organized groups in the Yemeni war and any additional support would empower them on the ground,” Yemeni affairs analyst Maysaa Shuja Aldeen told Voice of America.

The impoverished nation might seem inconsequential if it were not for its pivotal positioning on the southern end of the Red Sea. In an article titled “Libya and Ethiopia Reveal Iran’s Military Strategy,” Trumpet editor in chief Gerald Flurry wrote:

While I was writing this article, the Yemeni government pledged to soon step down because of large demonstrations. That government has also been helping the U.S. and others fight the war against terror. Yemen is already infested with terrorists. It is located on the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden—and is another strategically powerful country if you are trying to control world trade.

Since the writing of that article, Iran has fueled the uprising, leading to the current confrontation between Houthi and Saudi-led forces.

To the north, Syria—the black hole of the Middle East—is sucking in nations from near and far. But even this large-scale proxy war involving the world’s major powers is just a symptom of the regional sectarian conflict. Iran wants to maintain the Shia Crescent. A pro-Iranian Syria is a vital link between Iran and Lebanon, the home of Iranian terrorist proxy Hezbollah.

The usla in Syria will be less to do with battling the Islamic State and bringing “freedom” than reaffirming Bashar Assad’s position and staking Iran’s claim on the country.

Lastly, we come to Iraq, perhaps the inspiration for the usla. In Iraq, Tehran has enjoyed major success through its Shiite militias—notorious for their mistreatment of “liberated” Sunnis.

Commanded by the increasingly popular Gen. Qassem Soleimani, the locally recruited Shiites have been instrumental in halting the Islamic State. Simultaneously, these militias have carried Iran’s aspirations on their shoulders as they ostracize Iraq’s Sunni minority with violence and intimidation.

Iran sees the success it can have with Iranian-led Shiite militias. The usla is just the expansion and organizing of these groups on a broader scale.

Iran’s purposes are also served in other ways by establishing a large militia separate from the irgc. As Long War Journal reported, “The irgc hopes to project an image of supporting locals, though its recruitment has a distinctly Shia identity. Perpetuating sectarianism and violence serves to bolster the irgc’s image as a protector of Shias. A foreign legion engaged in several wars abroad, furthermore, elicits less opposition and complaints within Iran, reducing the impact of fatalities and casualties on Iranian society.”

One Organization, One Kingdom

Some analysts still insist that the creation of the usla is nothing new. After all, Iran has worked to export its revolution since 1979. As we have noted, there are already Iranian-backed militias in Yemen, Syria and Iraq.

But the usla could yet prove to be something far more ominous. Consider the players in the three aforementioned nations: the Houthis, the Popular Mobilization Force, a vast array of Shiite militias, the irgc, branches of the Iranian military, Hezbollah and various other terrorist organizations. All have some degree of Iranian aid or oversight. But all are distinct from one another. The usla aims to bring at least some of these forces under the same umbrella.

As Falaki said, “The forces that belong to this army are not Iranians only. In any place where there is a fight, we organize and recruit local people of the area.”

The usla is drawing from the preexisting pro-Iranian forces in the region. While many may choose to stay independent, the creation of the usla could provide the unity Iran needs to turn these various terrorists and militias into a controlled regional army.

The goal, while still in its early days, certainly mirrors what the Trumpet has long warned about. As Iran’s international army forms, so too does the Shiite kingdom. Iran is working to establish itself as king over the Middle East. Mr. Flurry has warned about Iran’s regional aspirations as far back as 1992.

His recently expanded booklet The King of the South has much to say about Iran and surprising biblical identity. Few analysts today look to the Bible as a source for understanding modern world events. But its admonitions and prophetic warnings should not be dismissed. It not only identifies Iran, but also those who will be allied with this king of the south. This is vital information! As Mr. Flurry writes in his opening comments:

The king of the north and the king of the south are two powers prophesied to clash in this end time. So God’s true Church must know who they are.”And at the time of the end shall the king of the south push at him: and the king of the north shall come against him like a whirlwind, with chariots, and with horsemen, and with many ships; and he shall enter into the countries, and shall overflow and pass over” (Daniel 11:40). Both powers are rising fast on the world scene right now. This clash will shake the world as never before! And that is the good news.The bad news is that it will lead to World War iii!

This is information that we cannot afford to ignore! Can you name these powers—the king of the north and the king of the south? Do you know the nations they constitute? How shall they fight? What is the whirlwind? Who is in the mysterious alliance of Psalm 83? Is there a coming crusade? Where is America and Israel in all this? For anyone willing to study and understand, the Bible is very specific when it discusses the events and personalities of our day! If you want answers to these questions, read our free booklet The King of the South.

These tragedies are coming, but if you are armed with this understanding, you can avoid the brunt of them! God specifically gives these warnings so that you and I can take action today and be spared the terrible destruction that is soon coming upon this world.