Inside Iran’s Most Powerful Force: The IRGC

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) was born in 1979 after the fall of the Shah of Iran. Created to protect the new political system led by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khomeini, it was designed as a parallel force to Iran’s regular army—which the new regime did not fully trust.

Answering directly to the Supreme Leader, the IRGC evolved from a revolutionary militia into a sprawling military, economic, and political empire during the Iran-Iraq War.

Today, it operates ground, naval, and aerospace forces, oversees Iran’s ballistic missile and drone programs, and controls the Basij militia for domestic repression. Its Quds Force arms regional proxies like Hezbollah and Hamas.

It secures the Strait of Hormuz, runs cyber operations, and has penetrated nearly every sector of Iran’s economy.

Despite its power, the Guard’s domestic reputation is shattered—after shooting down a passenger plane in 2020 and brutally suppressing protests in 2019 and 2022.

Now, with Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei assassinated, the IRGC is the primary force steering Iran through its most uncertain moment.