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.

Infobox

Motto

Heraldic slogan:وَأَعِدُّوا لَهُمْ مَا اسْتَطَعْتُمْ مِنْ قُوَّةٍ (Arabic)"Prepare against them what you 'believers' can of 'military' power." Quran 8:60

Founded

5 May 1979; 46 years ago (1979-05-05) (established)

Ideology

mw- KhomeinismShia IslamismGuardianship of the Islamic JuristJihadism (Shia)Islamic revivalismIslamic fundamentalismPan-IslamismSocial conservatismShia–Sunni alliance (claimed)Anti-Zionism

Service branches

Ground Forces Aerospace Force Navy Quds Force Basij

Headquarters

Tehran, Iran

Website

sepahnews.ir

Commander-in-Chief

Mohammad Pakpour

Deputy Commander-in-Chief

Cdre Ali Fadavi

Conscription

≈50,000 (2019), recruited mostly from active members of Basij

Active personnel

≈125,000 (2024)

Budget

$6.96 billion (2020)

History

mw- li Kurdish separatism in Iran 1979 Kurdish rebellion KDPI insurgency (1989–1996) Iran–PJAK conflict Western Iran clashes (2016–present) Arab separatism in Khuzestan 1979 Khuzestan insurgency Iran–Iraq War Lebanese Civil War United States invasion of Afghanistan 2001 uprising in Herat Balochistan conflict Sistan and Baluchestan insurgency 2006 Lebanon War 2009 Iranian presidential election protests Insurgency in Bahrain Syrian Civil War (intervention) War in Iraq (2013–2017) Iranian intervention in Iraq (2014–present) Russo-Ukrainian war (intervention) Attacks on US bases during the Gaza war 2024 Iran-Israel conflict Iran–Israel War Proxy conflicts with: Israel Saudi Arabia Turkey (low-intensity since 2024)

Ranks

Rank insignia of the Iranian military

Designated as a terrorist group by

Australia Bahrain Canada Ecuador Paraguay Saudi Arabia Sweden United States Israel (Quds Force only)