Heraldic slogan: وَأَعِدُّوا لَهُمْ مَا اسْتَطَعْتُمْ مِنْ قُوَّةٍ (Arabic) "Prepare against them what you 'believers' can of 'military' power."Quran 8:60
Founded
5 May 1979; 46 years ago (1979-05-05)(established)[1][2]
TheIslamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC),[a] also known as theIranian Revolutionary Guards,[19] is a multi-service primary branch of theIranian Armed Forces. It was officially established byRuhollah Khomeini as a military branch in May 1979 in the aftermath of theIranian Revolution.[1][20] Whereas theIranian Army protects the country's sovereignty in a traditional capacity, the IRGC's constitutional mandate is to ensure the integrity of theIslamic Republic.[21] Most interpretations of this mandate assert that it entrusts the IRGC with preventing foreign interference inIran, thwarting coups by the traditional military, and crushing "deviant movements" that harm the ideological legacy of the Islamic Revolution.[22]
As of 2024[update], the IRGC had approximately 125,000 total personnel. TheIRGC Navy is now Iran's primary force exercising operational control over thePersian Gulf,[23] serving as ade factocoast guard. The IRGC'sBasij, a paramilitary volunteer militia, has a further approximately 90,000 active personnel.[24][25] It operates a media arm, known as "Sepah News" within Iran.[26] On 16 March 2022, it adopted a new independent branch called the "Command for the Protection and Security of Nuclear Centres" involved withIran's nuclear program.[27] Currently, the IRGC is designated as a terrorist organization byAustralia,Bahrain,Canada,Ecuador,Paraguay,Saudi Arabia,Sweden and theUnited States.[28][29][30]
Government organizations in Iran are commonly known by one-word names (that generally denote their function) rather than acronyms or shortened versions, and the general populace universally refers to the IRGC asSepâh (سپاه) (Sepoy;Sipahi).Sepâh has a historical connotation of soldiers, while in modern Persian it is also used to describe a corps-sized unit – in modern PersianArtesh (ارتش) is the more standard term for an army.
Pâsdârân (پاسداران) is the plural form ofPâsdâr (پاسدار), meaning "Guardian", and members of Sepah are known asPāsdār, which is also their title and comes aftertheir rank.
Apart from the nameIslamic Revolutionary Guard Corps,[39][40][41] the Iranian Government, media, and those who identify with the organization generally useSepāh-e Pâsdârân (Army of the Guardians), although it is not uncommon to hearPâsdârân-e Enghelâb (پاسداران انقلاب) (Guardians of the Revolution), or simplyPâsdârân (پاسداران) (Guardians) as well. Among the Iranian population, and especially among diaspora Iranians, using the wordPasdaran indicates hatred or admiration for the organization.
Most foreign governments and the English-speaking mass media tend to use the termIranian Revolutionary Guards (IRG) or simply theRevolutionary Guards.[42] In the US media, the force is frequently referred to interchangeably as theIranian Revolutionary Guard Corps or theIslamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).[43][44][45][46] The US government standard isIslamic Revolutionary Guard Corps,[47] while the United Nations usesIranian Revolutionary Guard Corps.[48]
In the emblem of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC)- Seal of IRGC- , the sentence above theweapon consists of a segment of theQuranic verse from SurahAl-Anfal—وَأَعِدُّوا لَهُمْ مَا اسْتَطَعْتُمْ مِنْ قُوَّةٍ—which, according to the translation byAbdullah Yusuf Ali, reads:"Against them make ready your strength to the utmost of your power."[49][50]
The force's main role is to provide national security. It is responsible for internal and border security, law enforcement, and alsoIran's missile forces. IRGC operations are geared towardsasymmetric warfare and less traditional duties. These include the control of smuggling, control of theStrait of Hormuz, and resistance operations.[51] The IRGC is intended to complement the more traditional role of the regular Iranian military, with the two forces operating separately and focusing on different operational roles.[51]
The IRGC is a combined arms force withits own ground forces,navy,[23]air force,intelligence,[52] andspecial forces. It also controls theBasij militia. The Basij is a volunteer-based force, with 90,000 regular soldiers and 300,000 reservists. The IRGC is officially recognized as a component of the Iranian military under Article 150 of theIranian Constitution.[53] It is separate from, and parallel to, the other arm ofIran's military, which is calledArtesh (another Persian word for an army). Especially in the waters of thePersian Gulf, the IRGC is expected to assume control of any Iranian response to attacks on its nuclear facilities.[23]
History and structure
The IRGC was formed on 5 May 1979[54][55] following theIranian Revolution of 1979 in an effort to consolidate several paramilitary forces into a single force loyal to the new government and to function as a counter to the influence and power of the regular military, initially seen as a potential source of opposition because of its traditional loyalty to the Shah. From the beginning of the new Islamic government, the Pasdaran (Pasdaran-e Enghelab-e Islami) functioned as a corps of the faithful. The Constitution of the Islamic Republic entrusted the defense of Iran's territorial integrity and political independence tothe regular military (artesh), while it gave the Pasdaran the responsibility of preserving the Revolution itself.[56]
Days after AyatollahRuhollah Khomeini's return toTehran on 1 February 1979,Mehdi Bazargan's interim administration established the Pasdaran under a decree issued byKhomeini on 5 May. The Pasdaran was intended to protect the Revolution and to assist the ruling clerics in the day-to-day enforcement of the new government's Islamic codes and morality. There were other, perhaps more important, reasons for establishing the Pasdaran. The Revolution needed to rely on a force of its own rather than borrowing the previous regime's tainted units. As one of the first revolutionary institutions, the Pasdaran helped legitimize the Revolution and gave the new government an armed basis of support. Moreover, the establishment of the Pasdaran served notice to both the population and the regular armed forces that the Khomeini government was quickly developing its own enforcement body.[56]
Thus, the Pasdaran, along with its political counterpart, Crusade for Reconstruction, brought a new order to Iran. In time, the Pasdaran would rival the police and the judiciary in terms of its functions.
Although the IRGC operated independently of the regular armed forces, it was often considered to be a military force in its own right due to its important role in Iranian defense. The IRGC consists of ground, naval, and aviation troops, which parallel the structure of the regular military. The Pasdaran was "given control ofIran's ballistic missile program in both missile employment and development.[57]
Also contained under the umbrella of the more conventional Pasdaran, were the Basij Forces (Mobilization Resistance Force), a network of potentially up to a million active individuals who could be called upon in times of need. The Basij could be committed to assist in the defense of the country against internal or external threats, but by 2008 had also been deployed in mobilizing voters in elections and alleged tampering during such activities. Another element was theQuds Force, a special forces element tasked with unconventional warfare roles and known to be involved in providing assistance and training to various militant organizations around the world.[56]
The Pasdaran is closely associated with Supreme Leader Khamenei who came to power in 1989, and used the Pasdaran to build support usingexpropriated state resources. Reportedly he reached "far down into the ranks and appointed new colonels and brigadiers. 'Khamenei micromanages the whole system, so everyone is loyal to him, He is hyperactive. He knows every low-ranking commander and even the names of their children'", according to Mehdi Khalaji of the Washington Institute for Near East Policy.[58]
The Basij and Pasdaran were instrumental in crushing theGreen Movement, and this power gave them political supremecy in Iran. According to at least one source (Abbas Milani, the director of the Iranian Studies program at Stanford), the regime "clearly ... believed it was going to lose control, and the IRGC and the Basij saved the day. The result is that the IRGC now has the upper hand. Khamenei knows that without the IRGC he'd be out of a job in twenty-four hours."[59]
Yahya Rahim Safavi, head of the IRGC since 1997, was dismissed as commander in chief of the Revolutionary Guards in August 2007. The dismissal of Safavi disrupted the balance of power in Iran to the advantage of conservatives. Analysis in the international press considered the removal of Safavi to be a sign of change in the defense strategies of Iran, but the general policies of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps are not personally determined by its commander.[56]
Iran's top nuclear scientist,Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, was assassinated inTehran, Iran on 27 November 2020. Fakhrizadeh was believed to be the primary force behind Iran's covert nuclear program for many decades. TheNew York Times reported that Israel's Mossad was behind that attack and thatMick Mulroy, the former Deputy Defense Secretary for the Middle East said the death of Fakhirizadeh was "a setback to Iran's nuclear program" and he was also a senior officer in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, and that "will magnify Iran's desire to respond by force."[60]
The Corps have occasionally distributed food aid packages.[61]
Note: The forces of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps are called "Pasdar". "Pasdar" is aPersian word meaning "Guardian" or "Watchman".
In late July 2008, reports originating that the IRGC was in the process of dramatically changing its structure. In a shake-up, in September 2008 Iran's Revolutionary Guards established 31 divisions and an autonomous missile command. The new structure changes the IRGC from a centralized to a decentralized force with 31 provincial corps, whose commanders wield extensive authority and power. According to the plan, each of Iran's thirty provinces will have a provincial corps, except Tehran Province, which will have two.[62]
Cyber Security Command of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps
Karrarmain battle tank of the IRGC-GF, participating in the Great Prophet XVII military exercise
Basij Mustazafin were initially separate organizations but were merged in 1980 into Corps and merged to its land forces since 2008.[64][65][66]The Basij is a paramilitary volunteer militia or "plainclothes militia" founded by the order of theAyatollah Khomeini in November 1979. On 4 November 1979, in an address to the Revolutionary Guards during theIran hostage crisis, Khomeini ordered the creation of an army of "twenty million Iranians" (Artesh-e bis million), proclaiming:
Equip yourself, get military training and train your friends. Give military training to those who are not trained. In an Islamic country, everyone should be a soldier and have military training. ... a country with 20 million young people [should have] 20 million riflemen, an army of 20 million"[67]
This pronouncement and Article 151 of the constitution, which calls for the government to "provide a program of military training, with all requisite facilities, for all its citizens, in accordance with the Islamic criteria, in such a way that all citizens will always be able to engage in the armed defense of the Islamic Republic of Iran," are believed to refer to the Basij.[68] While "Iranian official estimates sometime put their total part-time and full-time strength at more than 20 million", others estimate the Basij as having "a core strength of 90,000, and up to 600,000" (CSIS, 11 January 2018, p.4); at 100,000 with "hundreds of thousands of additional Basij could be mobilized in the event or an all-out war" (CRS, 23 May 2018, p.18).[56]
The Basij are "the most visible symbol" of the Pasdaran's strength, whose members "can be seen on street corners in every Iranian city".[58] They are (at least in theory) subordinate to, and receive their orders from, the Iranian Revolutionary Guards and current Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei. However they have also been described as "a loosely allied group of organizations" including "many groups controlled by local clerics." Currently, the Basij serve as an auxiliary force engaged in activities such as internal security as well as law enforcement auxiliary, the providing of social service, organizing of public religious ceremonies, and asmorality police and the suppression of dissident gatherings.
The eliteQuds Force (or Jerusalem Force), sometimes described as the successor to theShah'sImperial Guards, is estimated to be 2,000–5,000 in number.[24] It is a special operations unit, handling activities abroad.[32][69] The force's main mission is training, directing, and liasoning withIranian proxies.
TheIslamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Aerospace Force orIslamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Air and Space Force[70] (IRGCASF;Persian:نیروی هوافضای سپاه پاسداران انقلاب اسلامی,romanized: niru-ye havâfazây-e sepâh-e pâsdârân-e enghelâb-e eslâmi, officially acronymedNEHSA)[citation needed] is thestrategic missile,air, andspace force within the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) ofIran. It was renamed from the IRGC Air Force into the IRGC Aerospace Force in 2009.[71] Its 15,000 personnel man around 80 aircraft and operates several thousand short- and medium-range mobile ballistic missiles, including the Shahab-3/3B with a range of up to 2,100 kilometers.
IRGC started naval operations using mainly swarm tactics and speedboats during "Tanker War" phase of the Iran–Iraq War.
IRGC Navy and the regularArtesh Navy overlap functions and areas of responsibility, but they are distinct in terms of how they are trained and equipped—and more importantly also in how they fight. The Revolutionary Guards Navy has a large inventory of small fast attack craft, and specializes inasymmetrichit-and-run tactics. It is more akin to aguerrilla force at sea, and maintains large arsenals of coastal defense and anti-ship cruise missiles and mines.[72] It has also aTakavar (special force) unit, calledSepah Navy Special Force (S.N.S.F.).The navy received 750 new ships in July 2024.[73]
The IRGC has recruited, funded, and trained two key militias to fight in Syria, Iraq, and Yemen as well as Iranian Balochistan which are led by IRGC commanders and even operate from Iran. These are:
The 2020 edition of The Military Balance, published byIISS, says the IRGC has about 190,000 active personnel and controls the Basij on mobilisation (as much as 40,000 active paramilitary forces).[8] It estimates the Ground Force is 150,000 strong and the Aerospace Force, which controls Iran's strategic-missile force, has some 15,000 personnel.[8] The Naval Forces are estimated to size at least 20,000, including 5,000Marines.[8]
During theLebanese Civil War, the IRGC allegedly sent troops to train fighters in response to the1982 Israeli invasion of Lebanon.[81] In Lebanon, political parties had staunch opinions regarding the IRGC's presence. Some, mainly the Christian militias such as theLebanese Forces,Phalanges, and most of the Christian groups declared war on the IRGC, claiming they violated Lebanese sovereignty, while others, including Muslim militias, were neutral to their presence. Groups such as thePSP andMourabiton did not approve of their presence, but to preserve political alliances they decided to remain silent on the matter.
During the2006 Lebanon War, several Iranian Revolutionary Guards were reportedly killed by Israeli forces inBaalbek, a town close to the Syrian border.[82] Israeli officials believe that Iranian Revolutionary Guards forces were responsible for training and equipping theHezbollah fighters behind the missile attack on theINS Hanit which left four Israeli sailors dead and seriously damaged the vessel.[83]
2006 plane crash
In January 2006, an IRGCFalcon crashed nearOroumieh, about 560 miles northwest of Tehran, near the Turkish border, Iranian media reported. All fifteen passengers died, including twelve senior IRGC commanders. Among the dead was GeneralAhmad Kazemi, the IRGC ground forces commander, andIran–Iraq War veteran.[84]
Gen. Masoud Jazayeri, spokesman for the IRGC, told state radio that both of the plane's engines had failed, its landing gear had jammed, and there was snow and poor visibility at the time.[85]
Possible attacks on Quds Force
On 7 July 2008, investigative journalist and authorSeymour Hersh wrote an article inThe New Yorker stating that the Bush Administration had signed apresidential finding authorizing theCIA'sSpecial Activities Division to begin cross border paramilitary operations from Iraq and Afghanistan into Iran. These operations would be against theQuds Force, the commando arm of the IRGC that had been blamed for repeated acts of violence in Iraq, and "high-value targets" in the war on terror.[86]
In October 2009, several top commanders of the Revolutionary Guards were killed in a suicide bombing in thePishin region ofSistan-Baluchistan, in the south-east of Iran. The Iranian state television said 31 people died in the attack, and more than 25 were injured. Shia and Sunni tribal leaders were also killed. The SunniBaluchi insurgent groupJundullah claimed responsibility for the attack. The Iranian government initially blamed theUnited States for involvement in the attacks,[87] as well asSaudi Arabia, theUnited Kingdom and laterPakistan for their alleged support of the Jundallah group.[88][89] The United States denied involvement,[90] but some reports of US assistance to Jundallah during the Bush administration have come from Western sources.[91] The attacks appear to have originated in Pakistan and several suspects have been arrested.[92]
Prior to the Syrian war, Iran had between 2,000 and 3,000 IRGC officers stationed in Syria, helping to train local troops and managing supply routes of arms and money to neighboring Lebanon.[93]
General Qa'ani, Senior officer of Army of the Guardians of the Islamic Revolution, said: "If the Islamic Republic was not present in Syria, the massacre of civilians would have been twice as bad. They had physically and non-physically stopped the rebels from killing many more among the Syrian people."[94]
Iranian Revolutionary Guard soldiers, along with fellowShi'ite forces from Hezbollah and members of Iran's Basij militia participated in the capture of Qusair from rebel forces on 9 June 2013.[95][96] In 2014, Iran increased its deployment of IRGC in Syria.[93]
By late 2015, 194 IRGC troops had been killed in Syria; almost all of these soldiers were officers, with several even reaching the rank of Brigadier.[97][98] Additionally, 354 Afghan combatants had died[99][100] who were fighting under the command of the IRGC, as part of the IRGC-equipped and trainedFatemiyoun Brigade, which is part ofHezbollah Afghanistan.[101] Another 21 Pakistanis also died as part of theZainabiyoun Brigade.[100][102]
The Afghan and Pakistani immigrants volunteered to go to Syria in exchange for salaries and citizenship. The Afghans were recruited largely from refugees inside Iran, and usually had combat experience before joining the IRGC; their status as members of the Iranian military is only vaguely acknowledged and sometimes denied, despite the troops being uniformed fighters led by IRGC officers. They were trained and equipped in Iran, paid salaries by the Iranian military, and received state funerals involving uniformed IRGC personnel.[101] Mid to late October 2015 was particularly bloody for the IRGC, due to them stepping up their involvement in offensives aroundAleppo. During this time, 30 IRGC officers, including "three generals, battalion commanders, captains and lieutenants" and "one pilot" were killed in fighting in Syria, as were several Afghan and Pakistani auxiliaries.[103][104]
The fallen included GeneralHossein Hamadani,[105] Farshad Hosounizadeh (IRGC colonel and former commander of the Saberin Special Forces Brigade), Mostafa Sadrzadeh (commander of the Omar Battalion of the Fatmiyoon Brigade), and Hamid Mojtaba Mokhtarband (IRGC commander).[104]
Iran revolutionary guards said that they had shot down an Israeli drone approaching theNatanz nuclear facility.[113][114][115] According toISNA, "The downed aircraft was of the stealth, radar-evasive type ... and was targeted by a ground-to-air missile before it managed to enter the area."[113][115] The statement by revolutionary guards did not mention how they recognized it as an Israeli drone. Israel offered no comment.[114]
Ukraine International Airlines Flight 752
Iranian authorities initially denied responsibility for theUkraine International Airlines Flight 752 incident. However, the IRGC later admitted that the plane had been shot down by mistake.[116]
TheAerospace Force of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps took "full responsibility" for unintentionally shooting down the airplane with a surface-to-air missile on 8 January 2020.[117] PresidentHassan Rouhani stated that the plane was approaching an IRGC base when it was shot down: according to a senior Revolutionary Guards commander, the plane was mistaken for a cruise missile.[118]On 17 January 2020, the IRGC were protected byAli Khamenei in the Friday sermon. He said that the downing was a "bitter" tragedy and additionally declared that "Iran's enemies" used the crash and the military's admission to "weaken" the IRGC.[119]
Special Operation inside Pakistan
On 3 February 2021, IRGC announced that it had conducted an intelligence-based operation inside Pakistani territory to rescue two of its border guards who were taken as hostages byJaish ul-Adl organization two and a half years ago.[120]
Involvement in the Russo-Ukrainian war
On 21 October 2022, a White House press release stated thatIranian troops were in Crimea assisting Russia in launchingdrone attacks against civilians and civilian infrastructure.[121] On 24 November, Ukrainian officials said the military had killed ten Iranians and would target any further Iranian military presence in Ukraine.[122] The Institute for the Study of War assessed that these are likely Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps or IRGC-affiliated personnel, as this formation is the primary operator of Iranian drones.[123]
On 13 June Israel launched a "preemptive" strike targeting high-ranking members of the Islamic revolution and Irans nuclear infrastructure and key nuclear scientists.[131] The opening attack killed 30 IRGC generals and 9 nuclear scientists. The strike, referred to as Operation Rising Lion launched the 12 dayIran-Israel war. An Israeli and US airstrikes damaged the nuclear facilities atNatanz,Isfahan, andFordow. Notable IRGC generals killed during the 12 day war include:[132]
Hossein Salami, commander in chief of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps,
Mohammad Bagheri, chief of staff of the armed forces and the second-highest commander after Ayatollah Khamenei.
Gholamali Rashid, deputy commander in chief of the Armed Forces.
Amir Ali Hajizadeh, head of the airspace unit of the Revolutionary Guards.
Gholamreza Mehrabi, deputy intelligence chief of the Armed Forces.
Mehdi Rabbani, deputy commander of operations for the Armed Forces.
Davood Sheikhian, the commander of air defense.
Khosro Hassani, the deputy intelligence chief of the aerospace unit.
As an elite group, members of Pasdaran have an oversized influence in Iran's political world.Mahmoud Ahmadinejad (President 2005–2013) joined the IRGC in 1985, serving first in military operation in Iraqi Kurdistan before leaving the front line to take charge of logistics. A majority of his first cabinet consisted of IRGC veterans.[133] Nearly one third of the members elected to Iran'sMajlis in 2004 are also "Pásdárán".[134] Others have been appointed as ambassadors, mayors, provincial governors and senior bureaucrats.[69] However, IRGC veteran status does not imply a single viewpoint.[135]
Strengthening the power of the IRGC was their actions against theGreen Movement, where thousands of Iranians protested election irregularities in the 2009 victory of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad over "a well-liked" reformerMir-Hossein Mousavi. As "the demonstrations gained strength, the security forces swept in, arresting, beating, and killing protesters". The IRGC was thought to be crucial in crushing the movement which "marked a turning point" for the Islamic Republic.[59]
In a video leaked to the internet, the leader of the Pasdaran at the time, (GeneralMohammad Ali Jafari), opposed the protest as challenging 'the tenets of the revolution', but warned that it 'was a blow that weakened the fundamental pillars of the regime,' and demonstrated that Iran's rulers "could no longer count on popular support", 'Anyone who refuses to understand these new conditions will not be successful'.[59]
Ayatollah Khomeini urged that the country's military forces should remain unpoliticized. However, the Constitution, in Article 150, defines the IRGC as the "guardian of the Revolution and of its achievements" which is at least partly a political mission. His original views have therefore been the subject of debate. Supporters of the Basiji have argued for politicization, while reformists, moderates andHassan Khomeini opposed it. President Rafsanjani forced military professionalization and ideological deradicalization on the IRGC to curb its political role, but the Pasdaran became natural allies of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei when reformists threatened him.[135] The IRGC grew stronger under President Ahmedinejad, and assumed formal command of theBasiji militia in early 2009.[136]
Although never explicitly endorsing or affiliating themselves with any political parties, theAlliance of Builders of Islamic Iran (or Abadgaran), is widely viewed as a political front for the Revolutionary Guards. Many former members (including Ahmadinejad) have joined this party in recent years and the Revolutionary Guards have reportedly given them financial support.
IRGC first expanded into commercial activity through informal social networking of veterans and former officials. IRGC officials confiscated assets of many refugees who had fled Iran after the fall ofAbolhassan Banisadr's government. It is now a vastconglomerate, controlling Iran's missile batteries and nuclear program but also a multibillion-dollar business empire reaching almost all economic sectors.[33] Estimates of the fraction of Iran's economy that it controls through a series of subsidiaries and trusts[137] vary from ten percent[138] to over 50.[58]
TheLos Angeles Times estimates that IRGC has ties to over one hundred companies, with its annual revenue exceeding $12 billion in business and construction.[139] IRGC has been awarded billions of dollars in contracts in theoil, gas and petrochemical industries, as well as major infrastructure projects.[140]
The following commercial entities have been named by the United States as owned or controlled by the IRGC and its leaders.[141]
Khatam al-Anbia Construction Headquarters, the IRGC's major engineering arm & one of Iran's largest contractors employing about 25,000 engineers and staff on military (70%) and non-military (30%) projects[135] worth over $7 billion in 2006.[141]
The IRGC also exerts influence overbonyads, wealthy, non-governmental ostensibly charitable foundations controlled by key clerics. The pattern of revolutionary foundations mimics the style of informal and extralegal economic networks from the time of the Shah. Their development started in the early 1990s, gathered pace over the next decade, and accelerated even more with many lucrativeno-bid contracts from the Ahmadinejad presidency.[142] The IRGC exerts informal, but real, influence over many such organizations including:
As an elite force with great economic assets it has developed into what some observers call an "untouchable élite" and somewhat isolated in Iranian society. According to a "former senior Middle Eastern intelligence officer", the Guard and their families "have their own schools, their own markets, their own neighborhoods, their own resorts. The neighborhoods look like a carbon copy of Beverly Hills."[58]
Former Bank Ansar and Bank Mehr Iranian were run by corpsIRGC Cooperation Bonyad until merger with state Bank Sepah.[146]
In 2023, Israel seized millions of dollars in cryptocurrency belonging to Hezbollah and theQuds force of the IRGC.[147]
Between 2023 and 2025, Iran significantly increased its military budget, with a substantial portion directed to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). In 2023, Iran's military expenditure was estimated at $10.3 billion, with the IRGC receiving approximately 37% of this budget, amounting to around $3.8 billion. By 2024, the total military budget rose to approximately $16.7 billion, with $10.9 billion officially allocated to military entities and an additional $5.9 billion channeled through oil revenues and the National Development Fund. In 2025, the Iranian government proposed a 200% increase in the military budget, allocating over half of its oil and gas export revenues—estimated at €12 billion—to the armed forces, including the IRGC. This surge in funding underscores Iran's focus on enhancing its military capabilities amid escalating regional tensions.[148][149]
Since the 1979 Islamic Revolution, Iran’s pursuit of food self-sufficiency has driven a state-led campaign of agricultural expansion that has severely strained the country’s limited water resources. This push, heavily reliant on water-intensive crops such as wheat, rice, and sugar beet, has often ignored ecological constraints. With agriculture accounting for approximately 92% of water usage and among the lowest levels of water productivity in the region, Iran’s water crisis is deeply entwined with governance failures, ideological policies, and entrenched institutional interests.[150]
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, who holds a deep entanglement in Iran’s economic, infrastructural, and environmental governance, has had a significant effect on Iran's environmental standing. Through its engineering arm,Khatam al-Anbiya Construction Headquarters (KAA), the IRGC has been a principal actor in Iran’s dam-building spree, water transfer schemes, and large-scale infrastructure projects. Peripheral provinces such as Khuzestan, which are home to marginalized ethnic communities, have suffered disproportionately from these ecological disruptions.[151]
The IRGC and its affiliated economic networks, sometimes referred to as the “water mafia,” have profited immensely from this system. While the official rhetoric remains fixated on sovereignty and resistance economics, the practical outcome has been a politicized water economy marked by mismanagement and corruption. The Majlis Research Center itself acknowledged in 2023 that the current model of water governance is incompatible with the country’s hydrological realities.[152]
Analysis
Mehdi Khalaji of theWashington Institute for Near East Policy argues that the IRGC is "the spine of the current political structure and a major player in the Iranian economy."[153] The once theocratic state has evolved into agarrison state, likeBurma, whereby the military dominates social, cultural, political, and economic life, protecting the government from internal rather than external opponents.[153]
Greg Bruno and Jayshree Bajoria of theCouncil on Foreign Relations agree, stating that the IRGC has expanded well beyond its mandate and into a "socio-military-political-economic force" that deeply penetrates Iran's power structure.[154] "The Guards' involvement in politics has grown to unprecedented levels since 2004, when IRGC won at least 16 percent of the 290 seats" in theIslamic Consultative Assembly of Iran.[154] During the elections of March 2008, IRGC veterans won 182 out of 290 seats, helpingMahmoud Ahmadinejad consolidate power.[155]
Half of Ahmadinejad's cabinet was composed of former IRGC officers while several others were appointed to provincial governorships.[155]
Ali Alfoneh of theAmerican Enterprise Institute contends that "While the presence of former IRGC officers in the cabinet is not a new phenomenon, their numbers under Ahmadinejad—they occupy nine of the twenty-one ministry portfolios—are unprecedented."[156] Additionally, Ahmadinejad successfully purged provincial governorships of Rafsanjani and Khatami supporters and replaced them not only with IRGC members, but also members of theBasij and the Islamic Republic prison administration.[157]
The IRGC chief, GeneralMohammad Ali Jafari, announced that the Guards' would go through internal restructuring in order to counter "internal threats to the Islamic Republic."[155]Bruce Riedel, a Senior Fellow at theBrookings Institution and formerCIA analyst, argues the Guards was created to protect the government against a possible coup.[154]
Since the disputed 2009 presidential elections, debate over how powerful the IRGC is has reemerged. Danielle Pletka and Ali Alfoneh see the irreversible militarization of Iran's government.[154] Abbas Milani, director of Iranian Studies atStanford University, believes the Guards' power actually exceeds that of Supreme LeaderAyatollah Khamenei.[154]Frederic Wehrey, adjunct Senior Fellow at theRAND Corporation believes the Revolutionary Guards is not a cohesive unit of similar-minded conservatives but rather a factionalized institution that is hardly bent on overthrowing their masters.[154]
U.S. Department of the Treasury terrorist aid claims
The U.S. Department of the Treasury claims the Corp has supported several organizations the U.S. deems to be terrorist, includingHezbollah,Hamas,Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ), thePopular Front for the Liberation of Palestine – General Command (PFLP-GC), and theTaliban.[158] In the U.S. Department of the Treasury's report, four IRGC senior officials, Hushang Alladad, Hossein Musavi, Hasan Mortezavi, and Mohammad Reza Zahedi, were specifically named for providing support to terrorist organizations. Hushang Alladad, a financial officer for the IRGC, was cited as personally administering financial support to terrorist groups including Hizballah, Hamas, and PIJ.[158]
Both General Hossein Musavi and Colonel Hasan Mortevazi were claimed to have provided financial and material support to the Taliban. Mohammad Reza Zahedi, the IRGC commander in Lebanon, was claimed to have played a crucial role in Iran's aid to Hizballah. According to the U.S. Department of the Treasury, Zahedi served as a liaison to Hizballah and Syrian intelligence services as well as taking part in weapon deals involving Hizballah.[158]
The U.S. Treasury report goes on to detail the IRGC's methods of support for terrorist groups: "The Government of Iran also uses the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and IRGC-QF to implement its foreign policy goals, including, but not limited to, seemingly legitimate activities that provide cover for intelligence operations and support to terrorist and insurgent groups. These activities include economic investment, reconstruction, and other types of aid to Iraq, Afghanistan, and Lebanon, implemented by companies and institutions that act for or on behalf of, or are owned or controlled by the IRGC and the Iranian government."[158]
From its origin as an ideologically driven militia, the IRGC has taken an ever more assertive role in virtually every aspect of Iranian society. Its part in suppressing dissent has led many analysts to describe the events surrounding the 12 June 2009 presidential election as a military coup, and the IRGC as an authoritarian military security government for which itsShiite clerical system is no more than a facade.[33]
Since its establishment, IRGC has been involved in many economic and military activities among which some raised controversies. The organization has been accused of smuggling (including importing illegal alcoholic beverages, cigarettes and satellite dishes, into Iran via jetties not supervised by the Government[135][162][163][164]), training and supplyingHezbollah[165][166] andHamas[167] fighters, and of being involved in theIraq War.[168]
In December 2009, evidence uncovered during an investigation by the Guardian newspaper and Guardian Films linked the IRGC to the kidnappings of 5 Britons from a government ministry building in Baghdad in 2007. Three of the hostages, Jason Creswell, Jason Swindlehurst and Alec Maclachlan, were killed. Alan Mcmenemy's body was never found but Peter Moore was released on 30 December 2009. The investigation uncovered evidence that Moore, 37, a computer expert fromLincoln was targeted because he was installing a system for the Iraqi Government that would show how a vast amount of international aid was diverted to Iran's militia groups in Iraq.[169]
According toGeneive Abdo, IRGC members were appointed "as ambassadors, mayors, cabinet ministers, and high-ranking officials at state-run economic institutions" during the administration of president Ahmadinejad.[36] Appointments in 2009 by Supreme LeaderAli Khamenei have given "hard-liners" in the guard "unprecedented power" and included "some of the most feared and brutal men in Iran."[36]
In April 2020, during theCOVID-19 pandemic, the IRGC unveiled theMostaan 110, an experimental medical device that the IRGC claimed could detect instances ofCOVID-19 using electromagnetic radiation. The IRGC's claims of Mostaan 110's capabilities were met with widespread criticism from both Iranian and international experts, who called itpseudoscientific and compared it to theADE 651, a fakeexplosive detector with a similar design.[171][172][173][174]
In December 2022, German authorities accused the IRGC of attempting to orchestrate attacks against synagogues in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia and spying on the president of the Central Council of Jews in Germany.[175] Moreover, in 2020, IRGC members were exposed as having given a talk to UK students in which one spoke of an apocalyptic war with Jews.[176]
In July 2024, it was suspected that the IRGC had attempted to assassinate the former Iranian president,Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.[177][178]
Since 15 April 2019, theUnited States, which opposes the activities of Sepah, considers the IRGC as aterrorist organization,[179] which some topCIA andPentagon officials reportedly opposed.[180] On 8 April, Israeli Prime MinisterBenjamin Netanyahu tweeted in Hebrew that America's terrorist designation was the fulfillment of "another important request of mine."[181] This designation was criticized by a number of governments includingTurkey,Iraq andChina as well as theIslamic Consultative Assembly, Iran's parliament, in which members wore IRGC uniforms in protest.[182]
On 29 April 2019, United States Deputy Assistant Secretary of DefenseMichael Mulroy saidIran posed five threats. The first was Iran obtaining a nuclear weapon. The second was to maritime security in theStraits of Hormuz and theBab al-Mandab, because a substantial portion of energy trade and commercial goods go through those areas. The third was because of their support to proxies and militant organizations, includingHezbollah in Lebanon and Syria,Houthis in Yemen, someHashd al-Shaabi in Iraq and safe-harboring senioral-Qaeda leaders in Iran. The fourth was Iranian made ballistic missiles sent to Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen for use againstSaudi Arabia and to Syria with Hezbollah to use againstIsrael. Cyber is the fifth threat and a growing concern.[183][184][185] He also said that the terrorist designation did not grant any additional authorities to the Department of Defense and that they were not asking for any.[185]
The IRGC has never been designated as a terrorist organization by theUnited Nations, although theUNSCR 1929 had its assets frozen (this was lifted in 2016). Since 2010, theEuropean Union has imposed broad sanctions on the IRGC and many of its members, without designating it as a terrorist organization.[186][187]
AlthoughSaudi Arabia andBahrain already designated the IRGC as a terrorist organisation,[188][189] several countries such asAustralia are examining the possibility to designate the group as well. Canada outlawed theQuds Force in 2012.[190][191] On 3 October 2022, in reaction to thedeath of Mahsa Amini and the persecution of protestors in theprotests that ensued, Canada officially sanctioned the IRGC. Foreign Affairs MinisterMélanie Joly announced sanctions targeting 9 entities, including theMorality Police and the Iranian Ministry of Intelligence and Security, and 25 individuals, that include high-ranking officials and members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. These individuals include IRGC Commander-in-Chief Major GeneralHossein Salami, andEsmail Qaani, commander of the Quds Force of the IRGC.[192]
On 7 October 2022, theCanadian government expanded the sanctions, banning 10,000 members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps from entering the country permanently, which represents the top 50% of the organization's leadership. Canadian Prime MinisterJustin Trudeau added that Canada plans to expand the sanctions against those most responsible for Iran's "egregious behavior". Canadian Deputy Prime MinisterChrystia Freeland added that Iran was a "state sponsor of terror", and that "it is oppressive, theocratic and misogynist; The IRGC leadership are terrorists, the IRGC is a terrorist organization".[193][194]
According toArab News, a 2020 report by theTony Blair Institute for Global Change said that the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps is an "institutionalized militia" that "uses its vast resources to spread a 'mission of jihad' through an 'ideological army' of recruits and proxies".[195] In 2022, U.S. Secretary of StateAntony Blinken said that the IRGC is "probably the most designated organisation – one way or another – in the world among the organisations that we designate, including the foreign terrorist organisation designation".[196]
In January 2023, it was reported that the United Kingdom was preparing to declare the IRGC a terrorist organization; this did not subsequently occur.[197]
On 18 January 2023, theEuropean Parliament passed an amendment proposed by theECR Group, to call for the EU and its member states to include the IRGC on the EU's terrorist list.[198]
On 19 June 2024,Canada designated the IRGC as a terrorist organization under the nation'sCriminal Code, citing “disregard for human rights” and “willingness to destabilize the international rules-based order.”[30]
In March 2025, the United States reportedly requested the newtransitional administration inSyria to designate the IRGC as a terrorist organization as a condition for partial sanctions relief.[199]
On 25 April 2025,Paraguay designated the IRGC as a terrorist organization.[14]
On 16 September 2025,Ecuador designated the IRGC as a terrorist organization alongside Hamas and Hezbollah, citing threats to Ecuador's sovereignty and national security.[201]
Response to terrorist organization designation
The move was met with unfavorable reactions from Iranian leaders and militants.[202] Shortly after the US announced the designation, the Iranian government declared the United States Central Command, whose area of responsibility includes the Middle East, as a terrorist organization.[203] According to Iran's Supreme National Security Council, the move "was in response to the illegal and unwise move from the U.S."[203] The next day, Iranian Members of Parliament displayed their support of the IRGC by collectively wearing green military pants and chanted "death to America" as they opened session. Iranian president Hassan Rouhani also responded to the move, commenting that it was a mistake which would only increase the IRGC's popularity in Iran and elsewhere.[203]
Since the designation, theUnited States Department of State'sRewards for Justice Program has offered a reward of up to US$15 million for financial background information about the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and its branches,[204] including an IRGC financier,Abdul Reza Shahlai,[b] who it says was responsible for a raid that killed five American soldiers inKarbala, Iraq on 20 January 2007.[207]
Following Canada's designation of the IRGC as a terrorist organization, Iran strongly condemned the move. As a result, the Foreign Ministry summoned the Italian ambassador in Tehran, who represents Canadian interests in the country. In a statement, the ministry expressed Iran's “strong protest” over what it described as an “unlawful and internationally illegal” act by the Canadian government. The statement also warned of potential consequences and emphasized Iran's right to take necessary and reciprocal measures. According to the ministry, the Italian ambassador pledged to promptly convey the message to Canadian authorities.[208] SpokespersonNasser Kanaani called the move “hostile” and contrary to international law while the acting foreign ministerAli Bagheri said onX that the Canadian government will be responsible for the consequences of this provocative and irresponsible decision, referring to the designation.[209]
^The United States unsuccessfully targeted Abdul Reza Shahlai in Yemen on the same day ofassassination of Qasem Soleimani,[205] which led to the death of Mohammad Mirza, a Quds Force operative, instead.[206]
^Shah, Sikander Ahmed (30 April 2024).Federalist Solutions to Pakistan's Political Crises. Lexington Books. p. 170.ISBN978-1-6669-5546-0.Iran, already an Islamic Republic, leveraged the Shi'a Islamist Ideology to gain support and recruitment from within and beyond Iran, with a specific view towards defending against threats—real or perceived—to the Shi'a Muslim identity, and to further a revolutionary Shi'a Islamist ideology. Iran's military, specifically the IRGC, is unique in the sense of not only using sectarian differences to effect its political will domestically, but also to further its ideology beyond its national borders, garnering support and traction from Shi'a political pockets across the region.
^Rome, Henry (17 June 2020),"Iran's Defense Spending",The Iran Primer, The United States Institute for Peace, archived fromthe original on 22 June 2021, retrieved23 August 2020
^"Currently listed entities".Public Safety Canada. Government of Canada. 21 December 2018.Archived from the original on 1 March 2020. Retrieved2 March 2020.
^Frederic Wehrey; Jerrold D. Green; Brian Nichiporuk; Alireza Nader; Lydia Hansell; Rasool Nafisi; S. R. Bohandy (2009)."The Rise of the Pasdaran"(PDF). RAND Corporation.Archived(PDF) from the original on 7 October 2013. Retrieved20 August 2013.
^"The Basij Resistance Force".Iran Primer. United States Institute of Peace. 6 October 2010. Archived fromthe original on 25 December 2022. Retrieved11 October 2022.
^Cordesman, Anthony H. (30 May 2019)."The Iranian Missile Threat".Center for Strategic and International Studies.Archived from the original on 4 June 2023.
^Neriah, Jacques (29 May 2013)."Iranian Forces on the Golan?".Jerusalem Center for Security and Foreign Affairs. JCPA.Archived from the original on 13 August 2013. Retrieved26 July 2013.
^The report came from "officers in Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), as well as websites affiliated with it", according to an unsympathetic source (MEMRI)
^Hird, Karolina; Mappes, Grace; Bailey, Riley; Howard, Angela; Kagan, Frederick W. (25 November 2022)."Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment, November 25".Institute for the Study of War.Archived from the original on 14 December 2023. Retrieved26 November 2022.
^Hird, Karolina; Bailey, Riley; Mappes, Grace; Barros, George; Kagan, Frederick W. (12 October 2022)."Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment, October 12".Institute for the Study of War.Archived from the original on 14 January 2024. Retrieved26 November 2022.
^Ganji, Akbar (10 November 2013)."Revolutionary Pragmatists".Foreign Affairs.Archived from the original on 5 March 2020. Retrieved12 November 2013.The Revolutionary Guards are no longer simply a military institution. They are among the country's most important economic actors, controlling an estimated ten percent of the economy, directly and through various subsidiaries.
^abcdefBruno, Greg and Jayshree Bajoria (12 October 2011)."Iran's Revolutionary Guards". Council on Foreign Relations. Archived fromthe original on 12 November 2012. Retrieved11 October 2012.
^"PV-9-2023-01-18-RCV_FR"(PDF). European Parliament. 18 January 2022. pp. 57–58.Archived(PDF) from the original on 19 January 2023. Retrieved18 January 2022.
Azizi, Arash (November 2020).The Shadow Commander: Soleimani, the US, and Iran's Global Ambitions. New York: Oneworld Publications.ISBN9781786079442.
Alemzadeh, Maryam (2021). "The attraction of direct action: the making of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps in the Iranian Kurdish conflict".British Journal of Middle Eastern Studies.50 (3):589–608.doi:10.1080/13530194.2021.1990013.S2CID239554621.
Hesam Forozan, The Military in Post-Revolutionary Iran: The Evolution and Roles of the Revolutionary Guards,c. 2017
Safshekan, Roozbeh; Sabet, Farzan, "The Ayatollah's Praetorians: The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and the 2009 Election Crisis",TheMiddle East Journal, Volume 64, Number 4, Autumn 2010, pp.543–558(16).
.jpg)
.jpg)
