Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps

"IRGC" redirects here. For other uses, see IRGC (disambiguation).
Not to be confused with the Libyan Revolutionary Guard Corps.

Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps
سپاه پاسداران انقلاب اسلامی
Seal of IRGC
Official flag (left) and Ceremonial flag (right)
Mottoوَأَعِدُّوا لَهُمْ مَا اسْتَطَعْتُمْ مِنْ قُوَّةٍ [Quran 8:60]
"Prepare against them what you ˹believers˺ can of ˹military˺ power." (heraldic slogan)
Founded5 May 1979; 45 years ago (1979-05-05) (established)[1][2]
Service branches
  1. Ground Forces
  2. Aerospace Force
  3. Navy
  4. Quds Force
  5. Basij
HeadquartersTehran, Iran
Websitesepahnews.ir
Leadership
Commander-in-ChiefMaj. Gen. Hossein Salami
Deputy Commander-in-ChiefCdre Ali Fadavi
Personnel
Conscription≈50,000 (2019), recruited mostly from active members of Basij[3]
Active personnel≈125,000 (2024)[4][5]
Expenditure
Budget$6.96 billion (2020)[6]
Related articles
History
RanksRank insignia of the Iranian military
Designated as a terrorist group by

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC; Persian: سپاه پاسداران انقلاب اسلامی Sepāh-e Pāsdārān-e Enqelāb-e Eslāmī, lit. 'Army of Guardians of the Islamic Revolution'), also known as the Iranian Revolutionary Guards,[13][14][15][16] is a multi-service primary branch of the Iranian Armed Forces. It was officially established by Ruhollah Khomeini as a military branch in May 1979 in the aftermath of the Iranian Revolution.[1][17] Whereas the Iranian Army protects the country's sovereignty in a traditional capacity, the IRGC's constitutional mandate is to ensure the integrity of the Islamic Republic.[18] Most interpretations of this mandate assert that it entrusts the IRGC with preventing foreign interference in Iran, thwarting coups by the traditional military, and crushing "deviant movements" that harm the ideological legacy of the Islamic Revolution.[19] Currently, the IRGC is designated as a terrorist organization by Bahrain, Canada, Saudi Arabia, Sweden and the United States.[20][21][22]

As of 2024, the IRGC had approximately 125,000 total personnel. The IRGC Navy is now Iran's primary force exercising operational control over the Persian Gulf.[23] The IRGC's Basij, a paramilitary volunteer militia, has about 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 with Iran's nuclear programme.[27]

Originating as an ideological militia, the IRGC has taken a greater role in nearly every aspect of Iranian politics and society. In 2010, BBC News described the organization as an "Empire".[28] In 2019, Reuters described it as "an industrial empire with political clout".[29] IRGC's expanded social, political, military, and economic role under Mahmoud Ahmadinejad—especially during the 2009 presidential election and the suppression of post-election protests—has led many Western analysts to argue that it has surpassed even the country's ruling clerical class in terms of political power.[30][31][32][33]

Since 2019, Hossein Salami has served as the IRGC's incumbent commander-in-chief.[34][29]

  1. ^ a b Abedin, Mahan (2011). "Iran's Revolutionary Guards: Ideological But Not Praetorian". Strategic Analysis. 35 (3): 381–385. doi:10.1080/09700161.2011.559965. S2CID 153976967.
  2. ^ "Timeline of Military and Security Events | The Iran Primer". iranprimer.usip.org. 10 August 2021. Archived from the original on 5 September 2019. Retrieved 17 April 2024.
  3. ^ Golkar, Saeid (February 2019), The Supreme Leader and the Guard: Civil-Military Relations and Regime Survival in Iran (PDF) (Policy Watch), The Washington Institute for Near East Policy, p. 3, archived from the original (PDF) on 29 November 2020, retrieved 23 August 2020
  4. ^ "Iran's Revolutionary Guards: powerful group with wide regional reach". Reuters. 13 April 2024.
  5. ^ The International Institute of Strategic Studies (IISS) (2020). "Middle East and North Africa". The Military Balance 2020. Vol. 120. Routledge. pp. 348–352. doi:10.1080/04597222.2020.1707968. ISBN 978-0-367-46639-8. S2CID 219624897.
  6. ^ Rome, Henry (17 June 2020), "Iran's Defense Spending", The Iran Primer, The United States Institute for Peace, archived from the original on 22 June 2021, retrieved 23 August 2020
  7. ^ "Bahrain Terrorist List (individuals – entities)". Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Bahrain. Archived from the original on 17 October 2020. Retrieved 3 March 2020.
  8. ^ "Currently listed entities". Public Safety Canada. Government of Canada. 21 December 2018. Archived from the original on 1 March 2020. Retrieved 2 March 2020.
  9. ^ "Saudi, Bahrain add Iran's Revolutionary Guards to terrorism lists". Reuters. 23 October 2018. Archived from the original on 8 April 2019. Retrieved 8 April 2019.
  10. ^ "Swedish Parliament Votes To Designate Iran's IRGC As Terrorist". Iran International. 7 June 2023. Archived from the original on 15 May 2023. Retrieved 15 May 2023.
  11. ^ "Treasury Designates the IRGC under Terrorism Authority and Targets IRGC and Military Supporters under Counter-Proliferation Authority". treasury.gov. Archived from the original on 15 June 2019. Retrieved 28 June 2019.
  12. ^ "List of Terrorist Organizations and Individuals". DNFBP's Duties. Archived from the original on 24 October 2021. Retrieved 6 June 2024.
  13. ^ "Iranian Revolutionary Guards capture commercial ship in Persian Gulf". The Times of Israel. Archived from the original on 21 June 2024. Retrieved 14 August 2024.
  14. ^ Rothwell, James (4 January 2023). "Iranian Revolutionary Guards commander mysteriously 'shot dead on doorstep'". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Archived from the original on 21 June 2024. Retrieved 14 August 2024.
  15. ^ "Iranian Revolutionary Guards die in suspected poisoning in Syria - report". The Jerusalem Post | JPost.com. 10 February 2024. Archived from the original on 21 June 2024. Retrieved 14 August 2024.
  16. ^ "Iranian Revolutionary Guard 'on the ground' aiding Russia in Crimea, says intelligence report". Sky News. Archived from the original on 21 June 2024. Retrieved 14 August 2024.
  17. ^ IISS Military Balance 2006, Routledge for the IISS, London, 2006, p. 187
  18. ^ "Profile: Iran's Revolutionary Guards" Archived 27 December 2008 at the Wayback Machine. BBC News. 18 October 2009.
  19. ^ Morris M Mottale. "The birth of a new class – Focus". Al Jazeera English. Archived from the original on 7 June 2015. Retrieved 29 October 2013.
  20. ^ Nicole Gaouette (8 April 2019). "Trump designates elite Iranian military force as a terrorist organization". CNN. Archived from the original on 14 May 2019. Retrieved 10 May 2019.
  21. ^ "Saudi, Bahrain add Iran's IRGC to terror lists – SPA". euronews. 23 October 2018. Archived from the original on 10 May 2019. Retrieved 10 May 2019.
  22. ^ Yousif, Nadine (19 June 2024). "Canada lists Iran's Revolutionary Guards as a terrorist group". BBC News. Archived from the original on 21 June 2024. Retrieved 20 June 2024.
  23. ^ "The Consequences of a Strike on Iran: The Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy" GlobalBearings.net, 15 December 2011.
  24. ^ Abrahamian, Ervand, History of Modern Iran, Columbia University Press, 2008 pp. 175–76
  25. ^ Aryan, Hossein (5 February 2009). "Iran's Basij Force – The Mainstay of Domestic Security. 15 January 2009". RFERL. Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. Archived from the original on 10 January 2012. Retrieved 25 December 2011.
  26. ^ "Picture imperfect" Archived 12 October 2017 at the Wayback Machine 9 March 2013 The Economist
  27. ^ "برای حفاظت از تاسیسات هسته‌ای ایران، 'فرماندهی سپاه هسته‌ای' تشکیل شده است" [In order to protect Iran's nuclear facilities, the "Nuclear Corps Command" has been established]. 15 March 2022. Archived from the original on 16 March 2022. Retrieved 23 March 2022.
  28. ^ Gregory, Mark (26 July 2010). "Expanding business empire of Iran's Revolutionary Guards". BBC News. BBC News.
  29. ^ a b Hafezi, Parisa (21 April 2019). "Khamenei names new chief for Iran's Revolutionary Guards". Reuters. Archived from the original on 30 July 2019. Retrieved 19 September 2020.
  30. ^ Cite error: The named reference NYT20090721 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  31. ^ "Arrests at new Iranian protests". BBC News. 21 July 2009. Archived from the original on 22 July 2009. Retrieved 21 July 2009.
  32. ^ "Crisis as Opportunity for the IRGC". Stratfor. 27 July 2009. Archived from the original on 5 August 2009. Retrieved 1 August 2009.
  33. ^ Abdo, Geneive (7 October 2009). "The Rise of the Iranian Dictatorship". Foreign Policy. Archived from the original on 11 October 2009. Retrieved 13 October 2009.
  34. ^ Gladstone, Rick (21 April 2019). "Iran's Supreme Leader Replaces Head of Revolutionary Guards". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 22 April 2019. Retrieved 10 May 2019.