IRGC

Extracted Attributes

• Founded

  1979-05-05

• Founder

  Ruhollah Khomeini

• Media Arm

  Sepah News

• Wealth Rank

  Third-wealthiest organization in Iran

• Total Personnel

  125,000 members

• Economic Influence

  Controls approximately 20% of the Iranian economy

• Basij Active Personnel

  90,000 members

• Terrorist Designations

  Australia, Bahrain, Canada, Ecuador, Paraguay, Saudi Arabia, Sweden, United States

Timeline

• The IRGC is officially established by Ruhollah Khomeini following the Iranian Revolution. (Source: undefined)

  1979-05-05

• The IRGC creates its first high school in Tehran to train and indoctrinate young men. (Source: undefined)

  1982-01-01

• The IRGC Intelligence Organization (IRGC-IO) is formed by order of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. (Source: undefined)

  2009-01-01

• BBC News describes the IRGC as a "business empire" due to its expanding economic role. (Source: undefined)

  2010-01-01

• The United States officially designates the IRGC as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO). (Source: undefined)

  2019-04-08

• The IRGC adopts a new independent branch for the protection and security of nuclear centers. (Source: undefined)

  2022-03-16

• The IRGC is involved in the suppression of widespread anti-regime protests following the death of Jina Mahsa Amini. (Source: undefined)

  2022-09-01

• Commander-in-Chief Hossein Salami and Aerospace Chief Amir Ali Hajizadeh are killed in Israeli military strikes. (Source: undefined)

  2025-06-13

Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), also known as the Iranian Revolutionary Guards, 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. 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. 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. 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, serving as a de facto coast guard. The IRGC's Basij, a paramilitary volunteer militia, has a further approximately 90,000 active personnel. It operates a media arm, known as "Sepah News" within Iran. 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 program. Currently, the IRGC is designated as a terrorist organization by Australia, Bahrain, Canada, Ecuador, Paraguay, Saudi Arabia, Sweden and the United States. Originating as an ideological militia, the IRGC has taken on a growing role in nearly every aspect of Iranian politics, economics (including energy and food industries) and society. In 2010, BBC News described the organization as a "business empire". In 2019, Reuters described it as "an industrial empire with political clout". 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. From 2019 to 2025, Hossein Salami served as the IRGC's incumbent commander-in-chief. He was killed along with numerous senior officers during the wave of Israeli strikes launched on 13 June 2025.

Web Search Results

• Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps - Wikipedia

  The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), also known as the Iranian Revolutionary Guards, 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. 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. 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. [...] Two battalions of Revolutionary Guards were reported to be operating in Iraq trying to combat the 2014 Northern Iraq offensive "Northern Iraq offensive (June 2014)"). The IRGC is considered to be a principle backer of the Popular Mobilization Forces, a loose coalition of Shi'a militias allied with the Iraqi government in its fight against the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS). Major General Qasem Soleimani was an instrumental force in the Iranian ground mission in Iraq against ISIS, purportedly planning the Second Battle of Tikrit. [...] Originating as an ideological militia, the IRGC has taken on a growing role in nearly every aspect of Iranian politics, economics (including energy and food industries) and society. In 2010, BBC News described the organization as a "business empire". In 2019, Reuters described it as "an industrial empire with political clout". 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.

• IRGC (Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps)

  The IRGC is the third-wealthiest organization in Iran after the National Iranian Oil Company and the Imam Reza Endowment.Hossein Aryan, "Iran's Basij Force – The Mainstay of Domestic Security,” Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, January 15, 2009, . Due to its vast wealth, the IRGC is able to use a very simple recruitment tactic: money. The IRGC attracts young men by paying them up to $265 a month.“Hama Media Office: IRGC Presence ‘Noticeable,’” Syria Direct, February 26, 2015, . In 1982, the IRGC created its first high school in Tehran to train and indoctrinate young men into the organization. The IRGC opened similar schools throughout the country. Graduates went on to join the IRGC and Basij. The program ended and the schools closed in 1999, but the IRGC announced plans in early 2015 to [...] The IRGC is also Iran’s most powerful economic actor, according to the U.S. Treasury Department, which labeled the National Iranian Oil Company “an agent or affiliate of the Revolutionary Guards.”“Treasury Links Iran Oil to Elite Military,” U.S. Institute of Peace, September 25, 2012, . According to a 2017 assessment by then-CIA Director Mike Pompeo, IRGC-linked companies control up to 20 percent of Iran’s economy.Michael R. Gordon, Warren P. Strobel, and Nancy A. Youssef, “U.S. to Designate Iranian Guard Corps a Foreign Terror Group,” Wall Street Journal, April 5, 2019, . In July 2018, the city council of Tehran announced that the IRGC Cooperative Foundation, which manages the IRGC’s investments, had embezzled more than $1 billion from the city of Tehran.“Designation of the Islamic [...] Formed in 2009 on the order of Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, the IRGC Intelligence Organization (IRGC-IO) is a domestic and international unit that targets journalists, activists, dual Iranian nationals, and others who oppose the abuses and human rights violations perpetrated by the Iranian regime. The IRGC-IO operates independently and reportedly serves as an ideological counterweight to Iran’s Ministry of Intelligence (MOIS), as it is under direct control of the supreme leader while MOIS is under the control of the Iranian president.Tim Arango, James Risen, Farnaz Fassihi, Ronen Bergman, and Murtaza Hussain, “The Iran Cables: Secret Documents Show How Tehran Wields Power in Iraq,” New York Times, November 19, 2019, ; Jason Brodsky, “The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’

• What is Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and Why is it ...

  In addition to supporting proxies, the IRGC has directed and sponsored direct attacks against Israel. This includes rocket fire from IRGC-backed militias in Iraq and Syria, maritime attacks on Israeli-linked shipping in the Persian Gulf, and cyber operations targeting Israeli infrastructure. Most recently, during the June 2025 conflict, Israel directly struck IRGC leadership and infrastructure in Syria and Lebanon, killing senior Quds Force commanders responsible for coordinating attacks. These strikes highlighted both the scale of the IRGC’s regional presence and Israel’s determination to counter it. Through a blend of proxy warfare, weapons proliferation, terrorism, and direct military engagement, the IRGC remains one of Israel’s most dangerous and immediate threats. [...] In Europe, the IRGC and its proxies actively support networks that conduct fundraising, smuggling, and terrorist operations, including the shipment of advanced weapons and explosives. Hezbollah, for example, continues to carry out antisemitic attacks and plots across the continent, exploiting gaps in European enforcement. The IRGC’s aggressive missile and nuclear programs further increase global instability, while its use of front companies and sanctioned entities circumvents international law to finance terror operations. Collectively, these activities make the IRGC not just a regional threat, but a direct challenge to U.S. allies and the rules-based international order. [...] What are some key measures taken against the IRGC? The IRGC is the only foreign state entity on the roster of 67 other militant factions on the U.S. State Department’s list of foreign terrorist organizations (FTOs). Declared a state sponsor of terrorism in 1984, Iran already faced sanctions, including restrictions on U.S. foreign aid, a ban on defense exports and sales, and other miscellaneous financial restrictions. Since 2007, the U.S. Department of Treasury has targeted the IRGC for its connections to Iran’s human rights abuses, backing Iran’s ballistic missile and nuclear programs, and supporting Hezbollah and Hamas.

• Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) - Britannica

  Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), the most powerful branch of the Iranian armed forces, independent of Iran’s regular army and accountable only to the Office of the Supreme Leader. It was established by Ruhollah Khomeini, Iran’s first leader (1979–89), and strengthened under the presidency of Ali Khamenei (1981–89) during the Iran-Iraq War (1980–88). Under Khamenei’s tenure as leader (1989– ), the IRGC has become deeply entrenched in the economy and regime security, allowing it to undermine civilian political processes in favor of Khamenei’s autocratic rule. The IRGC consists of an army, a navy, an air force, and an intelligence wing. > For more background and context behind current events involving Iran, see 2026 Iranian Protests and Israel-Iran Conflict. [...] The IRGC resisted attempts to subjugate it to political control and bring it within the fold of the regular armed forces. Tension was particularly pronounced between the IRGC and Iran’s first president, Abolhasan Bani-Sadr (1980–81), whose friction with various government figures led to his impeachment and removal from office in 1981. The two subsequent presidents, however, Mohammad Ali Rajaʾi (August 1981) and Ali Khamenei (1981–89), were favorable to the IRGC, and Khamenei aided the organization with expansive resources. Although the IRGC was initially deployed in the Iran-Iraq War to bolster the efforts of the regular army, it grew in force, structure, and complexity with the support of the political establishment. A contingent for foreign operations, known as the Quds Force, became [...] As Khamenei advanced in age, the strength of the IRGC relative to other state institutions in Iran raised questions about the role the IRGC would play in the regime’s future. The popular fury unleashed in September 2022 by the death of Jina Mahsa Amini, a young woman who had been taken into custody for “improper” attire, led some observers to suggest that the IRGC could seek to unseat the disfavored clerical establishment. Others countered, however, that the cohesion of the IRGC depended on support from the clerical establishment, limiting its ability to act independently and remain intact. Moreover, the IRGC had a friend in Pres. Ebrahim Raisi, a hard-line cleric who worked closely with its commanders and appeared poised to replace Khamenei as Iran’s leader. When Raisi died suddenly in a

• The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC)

  These economic activities enrich IRGC officials and fund its activities, such as weapons acquisition, covert operations abroad, and Iran’s nuclear program. They also support veterans and the families of killed IRGC members. Public works projects developing Iran’s rural regions build the IRGC goodwill it lacks in urban areas and provide work for Basij volunteers. When floods devastated rural areas in western Iran in April 2019, volunteer guards took a leading role in relief efforts. In Syria, the IRGC has spearheaded Iranian reconstruction projects. [...] Created after the 1979 revolution, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps answers directly to the Supreme Leader. The IRGC supports militant groups in Iraq, Lebanon, the Palestinian territories, Syria, and Yemen. This “axis of resistance” aims to rid the region of Western and Israeli influence. The IRGC’s top commander, Hossein Salami, and its aerospace chief, Amir Ali Hajizadeh, were killed in Israeli military strikes on June 13, 2025. Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei appointed replacements later in the day. ## Introduction The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) is one of the most powerful and feared organizations in Iran, playing central roles in the country’s projection of power, internal security, and economy. [...] Following the 1979 revolution, Iran’s clerical leaders created the IRGC outside—and as a counterweight to—the country’s traditional armed services, which they distrusted. Today, it reports directly to Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, and its size and powers have expanded immensely. Among its many prominent military duties, the corps operates Iran’s formidable ballistic missile arsenal and oversees the Quds Force, an expeditionary arm that partners with Iran’s various regional affiliates, including Hamas and Hezbollah. As of 2025, Israel was still engaged in hostilities with both of these militant groups, in the Gaza Strip and Lebanon, respectively.

• Instance Of

  Q7187