At a Baghdad news conference after meeting with Iraqi politicians on 7 March 2020, Shamkhani said “Zionists are against regional security.”In 2003, Shamkhani received the Shoja’at Medal, the highest military medal from President Mohammad Khatami. He was also honored for his eight years service as minister of defense in 2005. Shamkhani is significant because he bridges many different domains: military, naval, Revolutionary Guard, conventional armed forces, diplomatic and security institutions. This makes him a “deep state” operator in politics.
His ethnic-Arab background sets him somewhat apart in a system where most senior figures are Persian; thus he has symbolic importance for minority Arab communities, particularly in Khuzestan. Given his role in both defence and diplomacy, his actions and positions often reflect larger shifts in regional posture (more engagement with Gulf neighbours, China, Russia) rather than just domestic politics.
