What is the IRGC?

What does IRGC stand for?

IRGC stands for the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, known in Persian as Sepah-e Pasdaran-e Enqelab-e Eslami (سپاه پاسداران انقلاب اسلامی), usually shortened to Sepah. It was created by decree in April 1979, weeks after the revolution, as a force loyal to the new clerical leadership and separate from the regular army (Artesh).

Who controls the IRGC?

The IRGC reports to the Supreme Leader, currently Ali Khamenei, not to the elected president or parliament. Its commander-in-chief is appointed by the Leader and can be removed by him. This chain of command is why the Guard is best understood as the regime's own army rather than a national one.

What are the IRGC's main branches?

What is the Basij?

The Basij Resistance Force is the IRGC's mass volunteer militia, organised through mosques, schools, universities and workplaces. Basij members in plain clothes and on motorcycles are the force most often filmed beating and shooting demonstrators; their local structure also supplies informers who identify protesters afterwards.

Why is the IRGC so powerful economically?

Through engineering conglomerates, ports, telecoms holdings, construction contracts and control of unofficial import channels, the Guard holds a large share of Iran's economy. That money funds patronage networks and insulates commanders from ordinary political pressure — it is one reason sanctions on individuals have limited effect. See sanctions for what has been designated and by whom.

What role does the IRGC play in the protests?

During the 2025–2026 uprising, IRGC ground units and Basij forces were deployed alongside FARAJA police and plain-clothes agents. Documented conduct includes live fire at crowds, shotgun pellets aimed at faces and eyes, mass arrests, and the internet shutdowns that preceded the worst nights. The single deadliest documented episode is recorded on our Two Nights page.

Is the IRGC designated a terrorist organisation?

The United States designated the IRGC as a Foreign Terrorist Organisation in April 2019. Canada listed it in 2024. The European Union has sanctioned many IRGC entities and commanders but, as of 2026, has not adopted a full listing of the Guard itself; the debate is tracked on our World page.

Frequently asked questions

The Revolutionary Guard in depth

Key facts

• Founded by decree of Ruhollah Khomeini on 5 May 1979; its role is written into Article 150 of the Constitution.
• Answers to the Supreme Leader, not to the elected president or parliament.
• Estimated by the International Institute for Strategic Studies at about 190,000 active personnel, plus the Basij militia.
• Branches: Ground Force, Aerospace Force, Navy, Quds Force, Intelligence Organisation and the Basij.
• Designated a Foreign Terrorist Organization by the United States in April 2019, the first time a state military was listed; Canada listed it as a terrorist entity in June 2024.

Why was the IRGC created?

The new leaders distrusted the regular army, which had served the Shah. They created a parallel force whose loyalty was ideological. During the Iran–Iraq War of 1980–1988 the Guard grew into a full military, and many of its wartime commanders later moved into politics, business and the security services.

How is the IRGC organised?

Hossein Salami, commander since 2019, was killed in Israeli strikes in June 2025, and Mohammad Pakpour was appointed in his place. Command passes through the Supreme Leader's office, which appoints the senior commanders directly.

What role does the IRGC play in repression at home?

Together with the Basij, the Guard has led the response to every national protest wave: 2009, 2019, 2022 and 2025–2026. The UN Fact-Finding Mission on Iran found that state forces committed crimes against humanity during the 2022 crackdown, including murder, imprisonment, torture and rape. In January 2026 IRGC and Basij units were deployed to cities where crowds were fired on, as recorded on the two nights page.

The IRGC Intelligence Organisation runs its own detention wards, including Ward 2-A of Evin prison. Former detainees describe long solitary confinement and forced televised confessions. Several dual nationals have been held there and used as bargaining chips in negotiations with Western governments.

How much of Iran's economy does the IRGC control?

Through its engineering arm, Khatam al-Anbiya, and through linked foundations and companies, the Guard holds major stakes in construction, oil and gas, telecommunications, ports and banking. Estimates of its share of the economy vary widely because ownership is hidden behind holding companies. Critics argue that sanctions have strengthened it, since smuggling and sanctions evasion run through networks it controls.

What does the IRGC do outside Iran?

The Quds Force arms and trains allied groups in Lebanon, Iraq, Syria and Yemen. The IRGC Navy patrols the Strait of Hormuz, through which a large share of the world's seaborne oil passes. Western prosecutors have also linked IRGC networks to plots against dissidents and journalists in Europe and North America. The human cost of these operations is set out on beyond Iran.

Which countries list the IRGC as a terrorist organisation?

The United States designated the IRGC a Foreign Terrorist Organization in April 2019. Canada listed it under its Criminal Code in June 2024. The European Parliament has repeatedly voted to urge EU member states to list it, and the United Kingdom has sanctioned the Guard and many of its commanders. Campaigners argue that listing makes it harder for the Guard to move money and recruit abroad. Current campaigns are on campaigns.

Sources

Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Article 150; International Institute for Strategic Studies, The Military Balance; US State Department designation of April 2019; Public Safety Canada listing of June 2024; UN Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on Iran; Amnesty International. Full source notes are on the methodology page.

Understanding the IRGC without collapsing distinct institutions

An institutional name is not a complete chain of responsibility

IRGC, Sepah and Pasdaran refer to the Revolutionary Guard, while the Quds Force, its intelligence organisation and the Basij describe different parts of the security structure. Those names explain an institutional relationship, but do not by themselves identify the unit or individual responsible for a particular incident.

A case-level account should retain the source's specific identification and explain whether it rests on uniforms, testimony, documents or a formal investigation. Where the evidence identifies state forces but not a particular branch, the description should remain at that level. Precision about uncertainty is more useful than an institutional label broader than the evidence supports.

Compare the institutional definitions

Parallel forces and detention systems

The archive distinguishes the regular armed forces, the Guard, the police command and intelligence services. Their mandates and detention facilities are not interchangeable. The existence of overlapping powers is a reason to identify the exact source of an arrest or interrogation wherever the record allows it.

Evin appears repeatedly in accounts of political detention, but a photograph of its entrance does not identify which agency held a particular person or what happened inside. The credited exterior image below provides geographical context. Assertions about a ward, treatment of a detainee or command responsibility require their own case records and investigative findings.

Explore the institutional background

Economic influence should not become an unsupported percentage

The Guard's economic role is discussed through sectors, companies and institutional relationships. A precise share of the economy requires a defined measure: ownership, revenue, contracts, assets or another indicator. Those measures can produce different results and should not be merged into a single unexplained percentage.

The same caution applies to claims about sanctions and informal trade. A documented company designation or ownership link can establish a specific relationship; it cannot establish the behaviour of every business associated with a broad network. The sanctions page explains how designation records work and why legal measures vary between jurisdictions.

Read the sanctions and designation guide

Foreign operations and domestic repression need separate evidence

The Quds Force's external role and the Guard's domestic role connect institutionally, but each event still needs a distinct source trail. Funding, training, weapons transfers, operational coordination and direct command are different forms of involvement. A source establishing one should not be quoted as proof of all the others.

The Beyond Iran page follows cross-border cases and identifies different kinds of attribution. The protest chronologies follow domestic incidents. Reading them together can illuminate the institution's reach without treating every armed group abroad or every security officer inside Iran as indistinguishable. Criminal convictions, investigative findings and government designations also retain their separate legal meanings.

Examine the cross-border evidence

Read the domestic protest chronology