Army of the Guardians of the Islamic Revolution

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Army of the Guardians of
the Islamic Revolution

Branches

Air Force

Ground Force

Navy

Quds Force

Basij

Personnel

Senior officers

Rank insignia

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Branches & Manpower
Quds Force	estimated 2,000
Basij	11,000,000 (2005 est.)
AGIR Navy	20,000 (2005 est.)
AGIR Air Force	(unknown)
AGIR Ground Forces	(unknown)
Commander in Chief
Major General Yahya Rahim Safavi

Army of the Guardians of Islamic Revolution (Persian: سپاه پاسداران انقلاب اسلامی - Sepah-e Pasdaran-e Enghelab-e Islami), also known as Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), Revolutionary Guards, Sepah-e Pasdaran ("army of guardians"), or Pasdaran ("guardians"), is the largest^[1] armed force of the Islamic Republic of Iran.

The AGIR is separate from, and parallel to, the regular Army, Navy and Air Force. The Islamic Revolutionary Guards are equipped with their own ground forces, navy, air force, intelligence^[2], and special forces. They also currently control the basij militia.

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 Sepah-e Pasdaran are geared towards asymmetric warfare and less traditional duties. These include the control of smuggling, control of the Strait of Hormoz, and resistance operations.^[3]

Following the end of the Iran-Iraq war, some efforts were made to create a joint command between the regular army and the Islamic Revolutionary Guards, but these have been limited in scope and have not had a major impact.^{[citation needed]} Ultimately, it seems that the two forces will operate separately but focus on different operational roles.^[4]

The Islamic Revolutionary Guards 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.

The present Chief Commander of the Revolutionary Guards is Major General Yahya Rahim Safavi who was preceded by Mohsen Rezaee. Iran's current president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was a member of the the basij militia, subordinate to the Islamic Revolutionary Guards, during the 1980-88 Iran-Iraq war.

1 Lebanon and Hezbollah
2 The Islamic Revolutionary Guards and Iraq
3 References and notes
4 See also
5 External links

[edit] Lebanon and Hezbollah

The group's logo was inspiration for the logo of Hezbollah. It has also been claimed that the AGIR has given many of the Hezbollah resistance fighters military training in their Bekaa military bases during the early eighties.^[5]

During the Lebanese civil war, the IRGC allegedly sent troops to train resistance fighters in response to the 1982 Israeli invasion of Lebanon^[6]. In Lebanon, political parties had staunch opinions regarding the IRGC's presence. Some, mainly the Christian militias as the Lebanese Forces, Phalanges, and most of the right wing Christian groups declared war on the AGIR, claiming they invaded 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. This presence has also later been linked to the disappearance of four Iranian diplomats in Lebanon, with the Lebanese Forces being the main culprits.

Other sides have expressed concern but remained neutral as they saw the IRGC's presence in Lebanon as another resistance against Israel. This came despite the ongoing fight between the Shiaa Amal militias and the PLO. These sides were mostly Sunni militias, such as the Mourabiton, who were allies with the PLO.

The Islamic Revolutionary Guards in Lebanon were later incorporated in the Islamic Resistance, and were known as the Jihad movement. The 'Jihad' claimed responsibly for several attacks against US Marines and French paratroopers. They were later called The Islamic Resistance of Lebanon and were known as the military branch of Hezbollah.

[edit] The Islamic Revolutionary Guards and Iraq

Further information: Iranian Support for Lethal Activity in Iraq and 2007 Iranian seizure of Royal Navy personnel

The Revolutionary Guards' involvement in Iraq has been a heavily disputed issue of late. The U.S. DoD (Department of Defense) has claimed that it has intelligence reports of heavy Islamic Revolutionary Guard involvement in Iraq in which the force is supplying Shia militias, including the Mahdi Army. This claim was substantiated by alleged findings that US soldiers were killed by Iranian-made missiles and bombs, as well as the capture of Quds soldiers in January 2007 in Northern Iraq.

This alleged involvement has also fuelled the sectarian conflict in Iraq, as Shia militias are fighting Sunnis throughout Iraq.

The alleged evidence indicates involvement of the AGIR's Quds Force.