The Islamic Revolution's Guards Corps (IRGC) (Persian: سپاه پاسداران انقلاب اسلامی , Sepáh e Pásdárán e Enqeláb e Eslámi; literally: Army of the Guardians of the Islamic Revolution), more commonly known in Iran as Sepah (Corps), also known as the Revolution's Guards (Pásdárán e Enqeláb پاسداران انقلاب ), or simply the Guards (Pásdárán پاسداران), is a branch of the Islamic Republic of Iran's military.^[1] The present Chief Commander of the Guards is Mohammed Ali Jafari, who was preceded by Yahya Rahim Safavi. Like many young Iranians during the 1980-88 Iran-Iraq war, Iran's current president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was a member of the Guards. The post of Supreme Leader (Persian: رهبر انقلاب, Rahbare Enqelab,[1] lit. ... The following individuals have commanded the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps at one point in their careers. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... The Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps has its own navy force consisting of 17,000 men and 1,500 ships and fast attack boats. ... The Quds Force (Persian: , translit. ... Basij (also Bassij or Baseej, Persian: ‎), is an Islamic Republic paramilitary force that was founded by Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini in November of 1979 to provide volunteers for human wave attacks in the Iran-Iraq War. ... The Air Force of the Army of the Guardians of the Islamic Revolution (AFAGIR), also known as the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Air Force (IRGC AF), is the air force within the Army of the Guardians of the Islamic Revolution (Islamic Revolutionary Guards). ... See Also Military of Iran The Islamic Republic of Iran ... Baqiyatallah Medical Sciences University(BMSU) is a non-civilian medical school in Iran. ... This article is about the 1979 revolution in Iran. ... Farsi redirects here. ... The Armed Forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran (Persian: ) include the IRIA (Persian: ) , the IRGC (Persian: ) , and the Police Force[1] (Persian: ). These forces total about 545,000 active personnel. ... Major General Mohammad Ali Jafari is the head of Irans Revolutionary Guards. ... Major General Yahya Rahim Safavi Major General Yahya Rahim Safavi is the Command in Chief of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC). ... Belligerents Iran Patriotic Union of Kurdistan Iraq Peoples Mujahedin of Iran Soldiers and volunteers from different Arab countries. ...  [1] (born October 28, 1956)[2] is the sixth and current President of the Islamic Republic of Iran. ...

In English language media, the force is usually referred to as the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps(IRGC).^[2][3]

Size and structure

The IRG is separate from, and parallel to, the other arm of the Iran's military, which is called Artesh (another Persian word for army). IRG is equipped with its own ground forces, navy, air force, intelligence^[4], and special forces. It also controls Basij force, which has a potential strength of eleven million, although Basij is a volunteer-based force, and consists of 90,000 regular soldiers and 300,000 reservists. The IRG is officially recognized as a component of the Iranian military under Article 150 of the Iranian Constitution. ^[5] The Islamic Republic of Iran Army is the ground force of Islamic Republic of Iran Military. ... For other uses, see Special forces (disambiguation). ... Basij (also Bassij or Baseej, Persian: ‎), is an Islamic Republic paramilitary force that was founded by Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini in November of 1979 to provide volunteers for human wave attacks in the Iran-Iraq War. ...

The IISS Military Balance 2007 says the IRGC has 125,000+ personnel and controls the Basij on mobilisation.^[6] It estimates the IRGC Ground and Air Forces are 100,000 strong and is 'very lightly manned' in peacetime. It estimates there are up to 20 infantry divisions, some independent brigades, and one airborne brigade.^[7] The International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) is a British research institute (or think tank) in the area of international affairs. ...

The IISS estimates the IRGC Naval Forces are 20,000 strong including 5,000 Marines (one brigade), and are equipped with some coastal defence weapons (some HY-2/CSS-C-3 Seersucker SSM batteries and some artillery batteries) and 50 patrol boats (including 10 Chinese Houdang fast attack craft). The IRGC air arm, says the IISS, controls Iran's strategic missile force and has an estimated one brigade of Shahab-1/2 with 12-18 launchers, and a Shahab-3 unit. The IISS says of the Shahab-3 unit 'estimated 1 battalion with estimated 6 single launchers each with estimated 4 Shahab-3 strategic IRBM.'

The IRGC is charged with controlling vice and smuggling in Iran. The IRGC accomplishes this goal efficently by having a monopoly on all smuggling operations in and out of Iran. The IRGC controls the prostitution rackets in Iran and even supplies the European Union with a large number of prostitutes. All alcohol in Iran is controlled by the IRGC. These criminal rackets provide the IRGC with a degree of independence from the Iranian Central Government by the lucrative funding.

History

The force's main role is in national security, responsible for internal and border security, as well as law enforcement. It is also responsible for Iran's missile forces. The operations of the IRGC are geared towards asymmetric warfare and less traditional duties. These include the control of smuggling, control of the Strait of Hormoz, and resistance operations.^[8] Thus, the role of the IRG will complement the more traditional role of the regular Iranian military with the two forces operating separately and focusing on different operational roles.^[9] Despite earlier roots, Iran started its missile development program in earnest during its long and costly war with Iraq. ... Asymmetric warfare originally referred to war between two or more actors or groups whose relative power differs significantly. ... Historical map of the area (1892) Map Of Strait of Hormuz Satellite image The Strait of Hormuz (Arabic: ‎ - Madīq Hurmuz, Persian: ‎ - Tangeh-ye Hormoz) is a narrow, strategically important stretch of ocean between the Gulf of Oman in the southeast and the Persian Gulf in the southwest. ...

The IRG were formed in May 1979 as a force loyal to Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, but later became a full military force alongside the army in the Iran-Iraq War. It was infamous for its human wave attacks such as during Operation Ramadan, an assault on the city of Basra. Also: 1979 by Smashing Pumpkins. ... Ruhollah Musavi Khomeini (Persian:  , RÅ«ullāh MÅ«sawÄ« KhumaynÄ«) (September 24, 1902[1][2] – June 3, 1989) was a senior Shia Muslim scholar, marja (religious authority), and the political leader of the 1979 Iranian Revolution which saw the overthrow of Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, the last Shah of Iran. ... Belligerents Iran Patriotic Union of Kurdistan Iraq Peoples Mujahedin of Iran Soldiers and volunteers from different Arab countries. ... This article is about the military tactic. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... This article is about the city of Basra. ...

Iran-Iraq War

Main article: Iran-Iraq War

Belligerents Iran Patriotic Union of Kurdistan Iraq Peoples Mujahedin of Iran Soldiers and volunteers from different Arab countries. ...

Lebanon Civil War

During the Lebanese civil war, the IRG allegedly sent troops to train fighters in response to the 1982 Israeli invasion of Lebanon^[10]. In Lebanon, political parties had staunch opinions regarding the AGIR's presence. Some, mainly the Christian militias such as the Lebanese Forces, Phalanges, and most of the right-wing Christian groups declared war on the AGIR, claiming they violated Lebanese sovereignty. Others were neutral. Groups such as the PSP and Mourabiton did not approve of their presence, but to serve political alliances they decided to remain silent on the matter. Combatants Lebanese Front Syria LNM PLO Israel Commanders Bachir Gemayel Dany Chamoun Kamal Jumblatt Yasser Arafat Ariel Sharon The Lebanese Civil War (1975–1990) was a multifaceted civil war whose antecedents trace back to the conflicts and political compromises reached after the end of Lebanons administration by the Ottoman... Combatants Israel South Lebanon Army LF (nominally neutral) PLO Syria Amal (switched sides) LCP Commanders Menachem Begin (Prime Minister) Ariel Sharon, (Ministry of Defence) Rafael Eitan, (CoS) Yasser Arafat Strength Israel: 76,000 troops 800 tanks 1,500 APCs 634 aircraft Syria: 22,000 troops 352 tanks 300 APCs 450... Lebanese Forces (LF) (Arabic: القوات اللبنانية al-quwat al-lubnāniyya) is a Lebanese political party and a former militia, which fought on the Christian side during the civil war that ravaged Lebanon from 1975 to 1990. ... The phalanges in a human hand The name Phalanges is commonly given to the bones that form fingers and toes. ... The Progressive Socialist Party (PSP) (Arabic al-hizb al-taqadummi al-ishtiraki) is a political party in Lebanon. ... ...

2006 plane crash

In January 2006, an IRG Falcon carrying fifteen passengers crashed near Oroumieh, killing all 15, including 12 senior IRG commanders.^[11] Among the dead was General Ahmad Kazemi, the IRG ground forces commander.^[12] The Falcon is a family of business jets manufactured by Dassault Aviation. ...

Senior Commanders

Further information: List of senior officers of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards

• Brigadier General Mohammad Hejazi (Chief of the Joint Staff of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards)^[13]
• Brigadier General Mohammad-Reza Zahedi (Revolutionary Guards' Ground Forces)^[14]
• Brigadier General Hossein Salami (Revolutionary Guards' Air Force)^[14]
• Rear Admiral Morteza Saffari (Revolutionary Guards' Navy)^[15]
• Brigadier General Mohammad Hejazi (Commander-in-chief of the Mobilized Basij forces)^[16]
• Brigadier General Qassem Soleimani (Quds Force)^[17] General Suleimani was responsible for negotiating several accords between Iraqi political figures.
• Brigadier General Abdol-Ali Najafi (Secret unit)^[18]

The following individuals have commanded the Army of the Guardians of the Islamic Revolution at one point in their careers. ... This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Mohammad Mehdi Zahedi (Born in 1953 Kerman) is an Iranian politician and the minister of science and technology in Mahmoud Ahmadinejads cabinet. ... The Ground Forces of the Army of the Guardians of the Islamic Revolution are the force which the Army of the Guardians of the Islamic Revolution, also known as Islamic Revolutionary Guards, maintain in parallel to the regular army of Iran. ... The Air Force of the Army of the Guardians of the Islamic Revolution (AFAGIR), also known as the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Air Force (IRGC AF), is the air force within the Army of the Guardians of the Islamic Revolution (Islamic Revolutionary Guards). ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ... Commander-in-Chief (in NATO-lingo often C-in-C or CINC pronounced sink) is the commander of all the military forces within a particular region or of all the military forces of a state. ... Basij (also Bassij or Baseej, Persian: ‎), is an Islamic Republic paramilitary force that was founded by Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini in November of 1979 to provide volunteers for human wave attacks in the Iran-Iraq War. ... The Quds Force (Persian: , translit. ...

Controversy

The Quds Force (Persian: , translit. ... Basij (also Bassij or Baseej, Persian: ‎), is an Islamic Republic paramilitary force that was founded by Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini in November of 1979 to provide volunteers for human wave attacks in the Iran-Iraq War. ... The Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps has its own navy force consisting of 17,000 men and 1,500 ships and fast attack boats. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Major General Mohammad Ali Jafari is the head of Irans Revolutionary Guards. ...

Involvement with Hezbollah

The AGIR's logo was inspiration for the logo of Hezbollah. The IRG provided military training to Hezbollah fighters in the Bekaa valley during the early eighties.^[24] Other Lebanese parties^[who?] have expressed concern about this relationship but remained neutral as they saw the AGIR's presence in Lebanon as resistance against Israeli presence. This came despite the ongoing fight between the Lebanese Amal militias and the PLO and its Sunni allies. For other uses, see Hezbollah (disambiguation). ... The Beqaa Beqaa is a governorate in Lebanon with a population of 750,000 inhabitants. ... Amal may refer to: Ã…mÃ¥l, a small town in Sweden Amal Movement, Amal, Arabic for hope, the popular name for a Lebanese political party and militia organisation Amal language of Papua New Guinea AMAL is a tradename for a British make of motorcycle carburettor Amal stands for Association des... Sunni Islam (Arabic سنّة) is the largest denomination of Islam. ...

Involvement in the Iraq War

The U.S. DoD (Department of Defense) has repeatedly asserted IRG involvement in the Iraq War against Iranian denials, though the US has stopped short of saying the central government of Iran is responsible for the actions.^[25]. The U.S. charges come as Iran and Turkey have complained that U.S.-supplied guns are flowing from Iraq to anti-government militants on their soil.^[26][27] DOD or DoD may refer to: Australian Department of Defence United States Department of Defense Department of Defence of the Republic Of Ireland Date of death Date of discharge Day of Defeat, computer game Delivery of deed Draft on demand DrinkOrDie, a software cracking and warez trading network Diary of... For other uses, see Iraq war (disambiguation). ...

The Department has reported that it has intelligence reports of heavy Islamic Revolutionary Guard involvement in Iraq in which the force is supplying Iraqi insurgents. ^[28] It is further claimed that US soldiers have been killed by Iranian-made or designed explosive devices. This claim is disputed by Iran, saying that the bulk of American military deaths in Iraq are due to a Sunni insurgency and not a Shiite one. Two different studies have maintained that approximately half of all foreign insurgents entering Iraq come from Saudi Arabia.^[29][30] Iran further disputes that former Iraqi army personnel, whom, prior to the 2003 invasion, the US and UK claimed were capable of deploying advanced missile systems capable of launching WMDs within 45 minutes^[31][32], would be incapable of designing and producing improvised explosive devices.^{[citation needed]} The Massive Ordnance Air Blast (MOAB) bomb, also known as Mother Of All Bombs, produced in the United States. ... Weapons of Mass Destruction is also the name of rapper Xzibits 2004 album. ...

Main article: US raid on Iranian liaison office in Arbil

The U.S. charges of Iranian support come as Iran and Turkey have complained that U.S.-supplied guns are flowing from Iraq to anti-government militants on their soil.^[26][27][33] The Government Accountability Office (GAO), the investigative arm of the US Congress, said in a report that the Pentagon cannot account for 190,000 AK-47 rifles and pistols given to Iraqi security forces. ^[34] Security analysts with the Centre for Defence Information, along with one senior Pentagon official, suggested that some of the weapons have probably made their way in to the hands of Iraqi insurgents. ^[35] Italian arms investigators also recently stopped Iraqi government officials from illegally shipping more than 100,000 Russian-made automatic weapons into Iraq.^[26][27] United States troops raided an Iranian office in northern Iraq on 11 January 2007 and detained five employees. ... General Accounting Office headquarters, Washington, D.C. The Government Accountability Office (GAO) is the non-partisan audit, evaluation, and investigative arm of Congress, and an agency in the Legislative Branch of the United States Government. ... The Congress of the United States is the legislative branch of the federal government of the United States of America. ... This article is about the United States military building. ... Avtomat Kalashnikova model 1947 g. ...

In January 2007 the US army detained five Iranians in northern Iraq, claiming they were Quds operatives of the AGIR, providing military assistance to Shiite militias. The Iranian and Iraqi governments maintain that they were diplomats working for the Iranian consulate in Iraqi Kurdistan. The IRGC cadres were released as a negotiated deal for British sailors under the auspices of General Suleimani. January 2007 is the first month of that year. ...

Designation by the United States and United Nations as a Terrorist Organization

Further information: United States-Iran relations#Possible IRGC terrorist designation by the United States

On October 25, 2007, the United States designated the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and the Ministry of Defense and Armed Forces Logistics (MODAFL) as terrorist organizations. ^[36] Federal courts Supreme Court Circuit Courts of Appeal District Courts Elections Presidential elections Midterm elections Political Parties Democratic Republican Third parties State & Local government Governors Legislatures (List) State Courts Local Government Other countries Atlas  US Government Portal      Political relations between Iran (Persia) and the United States began when the Shah...

President Karzai of Afghanistan has argued that Iran is "a helper and a solution"^[37] for Afghanistan while Prime Minister Maliki of Iraq has argued that Iran has a "positive and constructive" role in helping the Iraqi government improve security in his wartorn nation.^[38] When Voice of America, the official external radio and television broadcasting service of the United States federal government, asked if the IRGC is supplying weapons to the Taliban, the current president of Iran, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, laughed and said the US doesn't want Iran to be friends with Afghanistan. "What is the reason they are saying such things?" asked Ahmadinejad. ^[39] Hamid Karzai (Persian: حامد کرزى and Pashto: حامد کرزي) (b. ... Nouri Kamel Mohammed Hassan al-Maliki (Arabic: نوري كامل المالكي, transliterated NÅ«rÄ« Kāmil al-MālikÄ«; born July 20, 1950), also known as Jawad al-Maliki, is the Prime Minister of Iraq and the secretary-general of the Islamic Dawa Party. ... Voice of America logo Voice of America (VOA), is the official external radio and television broadcasting service of the United States federal government. ... Broadcasting is the distribution of audio and video signals (programs) to a number of recipients (listeners or viewers) that belong to a large group. ... This article is about the federal government of the United States. ... The Taliban (Pashto: , also anglicized as Taleban) are a Sunni Muslim and ethnic Pashtun movement [2] that ruled most of Afghanistan from 1996 until 2001, when their leaders were removed from power by a cooperative military effort between the Northern Alliance, United States, Canada, Australia and the United Kingdom. ... The President of Iran is the head of government. ...  [1] (born October 28, 1956)[2] is the sixth and current President of the Islamic Republic of Iran. ...

In response to the designation, the Iranian parliament approved a non-binding resolution condemning the 1945 bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in World War II and calling on the UN to intervene with regards to alleged US secret prisons. The resolution further designated the United States' Central Intelligence Agency and the U.S. Army as terrorist organizations based on "known and accepted" standards of terrorism. The US State Department and CIA declined to comment.^[40]

References and notes

The International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) is a British research institute (or think tank) in the area of international affairs. ... The International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) is a British research institute (or think tank) in the area of international affairs. ... GlobalSecurity. ... [[Media:Italic text]]{| style=float:right; |- | |- | |} is the 50th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 179th day of the year (180th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Further reading

• Wise, Harold Lee (2007). Inside the Danger Zone: The U.S. Military in the Persian Gulf 1987-88. Annapolis: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 1-59114-970-3.  (discusses U.S. military clashes with Iranian Revolutionary Guard during the Iran-Iraq War)

See also

• Ali Movahedi-Kermani
• Ali-Reza Asgari

Hojatoleslam/Ayatollah Ali Movahedi-Kermani is representative of Ali Khamenei in the Islamic Revolutionary Guards in the Islamic Republic of Iran. ... Ali-Reza Asgari (Persian: ‎ ) is a retired[1] Iranian general of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, former deputy defense minister, and former cabinet member of President Mohammad Khatami. ...

External links

• AP, "U.S. Envoy: Iran Revolutionary Guards Quds Force Director Detained"
• Iranian Military Pictures & Videos
• Foxes in Iran's Henhouse, a New York Times article about the role of the Revolutionary Guards in Iran's power structure
• Guardians of the Revolution
• link to GlobalSecurity.org
• IRG navy, air forces to launch wargame in Persian Gulf, Oman Sea
• Weekly Newsletter that is published by Army of the Guardians of the Islamic Revolution (In Persian)
• Council on Foreign Relations: Iran's Revolutionary Guards
• A Blast Still Reverberating Washington Post April 17, 2008