The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), known in Persian as Sepāh-e Pāsdārān-e Enqelāb-e Eslāmi, was established by decree of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini in May 1979, months after the Iranian Revolution. It was created as a parallel force to the regular military (Artesh), tasked with safeguarding the revolution and the Islamic system against internal and external threats. Its mandate is enshrined in Article 150 of the 1979 Iranian Constitution.
The IRGC is institutionally distinct from Iran's conventional armed forces and reports directly to the Supreme Leader, currently Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. It comprises several branches:
- Ground Forces
- Navy — which operates in the Persian Gulf and Strait of Hormuz alongside the regular navy
- Aerospace Force — controlling Iran's ballistic missile arsenal
- Basij — a paramilitary volunteer militia used for internal security and mobilization
- Quds Force — responsible for extraterritorial operations, intelligence, and liaison with allied non-state armed groups
The Quds Force, commanded by Qassem Soleimani until his killing in a U.S. drone strike in Baghdad on 3 January 2020, has cultivated relationships with Lebanese Hezbollah, Iraqi Shia militias, the Houthi movement in Yemen, and Palestinian factions including Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad.
Beyond military functions, the IRGC controls a sprawling economic empire, including the engineering conglomerate Khatam al-Anbiya, and holds significant stakes in construction, energy, and telecommunications. This dual security-economic role makes it a central actor in Iranian domestic politics.
The United States designated the IRGC as a Foreign Terrorist Organization in April 2019, the first time Washington applied that label to a part of another state's government. The European Parliament voted in January 2023 to urge the EU Council to list the IRGC as a terrorist entity, though the Council has not formally done so. The IRGC has also been central to suppressing domestic protests, including the 2009 Green Movement and the 2022–2023 demonstrations following the death of Mahsa Amini.
Example
In April 2019, the Trump administration designated the IRGC a Foreign Terrorist Organization, the first such U.S. designation of a foreign state's armed forces.
Frequently asked questions
The Artesh is Iran's conventional national army, tasked with defending borders, while the IRGC is an ideological force created to protect the Islamic Republic's revolutionary system. They have separate commands, budgets, and even parallel ground, naval, and air branches.
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