Iran's Revolutionary Guards: Arm of Oppression Within and Terrorism Without

Printer-friendly versionSend to friendPDF versionManda Zand-Ervin The focus on negotiations with the Iranian regime has been on the supreme leader, Khamenei and President Ahmadinejad's cabinet. While the nuclear program is the subject of dialogue for the West, there is no talk about the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corp, IRGC, who is in charge and in control of much more than nuclear program. Iran has had two separate Armed forces since the 1979 revolution: a regular military to protect the sovereignty of Iran and an Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, to protect the revolution and the Islamic regime. The mission statement set by Ayatollah Khomeini, for the IRGC was: "Guarding the principle of government by supreme Islamic jurist and the principle of Jihad." In plain language, their mission is oppression and terrorism. Although it was set up to be nonpolitical, the IRGC has gradually expanded to an organization with two auxiliary paramilitary forces under its direction: The Basij for the oppression of internal enemies, and the Quds for terrorism or Jihad against the infidels abroad. Some examples:  the massacre of 183 members of the Air Force who were plotting a coup against the regime in 1979 (known as the Nojeh Uprising); the seizure of the United States Embassy; destabilizing the moderate Bazargan government; the massacre of the Mojahedeen Khalq, one-time supporters of Khomeini who wanted a share of the power, and the over throw of president Bani-Sadr, all in the first year. During the '90s, IRGC succeeded to assassinate tens of Iranian dissident Leaders in European countries to remove the possibility of any effective movement within the Iranian Diaspora. Commander in Chief of the IRGC said, in response to Khatami: "...How can any dialogue between civilizations save us from America's dangers? This path threatens our national security." The IRGC also disapproved of university students' continued rhapsodizing about secular democracy and freedom; and in July 1999 the Basij forces attacked the Universities throughout the country, massacring, injuring and imprisoning thousands of both the students and the masses of Iranians who had joined to support them. Khamenei supported the IRGC's actions and Khatami found himself helpless and intimidated. The ongoing repression of intellectuals, the opposition and members of the media, quashing the women's, labor and student movements, not to mention the silencing of various clerics who disagree with them, is also a part of the mission. In reality, the IRGC is the hard line faction in the political machinery of the Islamic republic of Iran, controlling the arms and money with an iron fist. On the political front, they have been steadily consolidating power and influence, as well as an absolute grip over the country. Not only did they determine that one of their own "wins" the Presidency in 2005, the IRGC veterans are now occupying the majority of the parliamentary seats. Nine departments in Ahmadinejad's cabinet are now under the control of the veteran Revolutionary Guards among them; Defense, Energy, Justice, Petroleum, contribute to increase IRGC's influence, through inappropriate allocation of funds, money transfer and power-grabbing schemes. Ahmadinejad has appointed the former officers of Guards and Basij to the governorship of every one of the 30 provinces in Iran, in order to guarantee his reelection in 2009. Khamenei has recently made two more appointments; he installed former IRGC commander Ali-Reza Afshar to oversee the elections and Ezzatollah Zarghami, veteran Guard, to head Iran's broadcasting. Mohammad Ali Ja'fari, the new commander in chief of IRGC, said: "The IRGC is not only a military organization: it is a political and ideological organization," he added that "The Basij has total political power to confront internal enemies."  But there is no talk about the power that their other auxiliary section Quds is exerting abroad. The Iranian nuclear program is completely under their control. Terrorist programs are planed and carried out by Quds. Hamas among them; Quds is one of the main supporters, with hundreds of Millions of dollars in arms cash and goods. Hezbollah is the terrorist child of Ayatollah Khomeini and the Quds paramilitary force is in charge of keeping them armed and fed; this is in order to take control of the Lebanese government away from Christians and turn Lebanon into a Muslim country, in cahoots with Syria, against the southern borders of Israel. The IRGC's Quds has installed itself in most of the neighboring countries like Iraq, Afghanistan, Syria, Lebanon Gaza strip and the Persian Gulf nations. Their budget is unlimited and they have branches in almost every large city of Europe and even in United States. Their businesses in Europe are purchasing arms from manufacturers and international arms dealers.  Last week the FBI arrested a Chinese arms dealer in New York, shopping for a nuclear bomb and missiles parts for the IRGC. Cost is no object. They are in China and North Korea making deals aimed at furthering their nuclear ambitions. They work with the Russians for the construction and development of their nuclear programs. Aside from the money and power over Iran, Russia is holding Iran's nuclear development as a bargaining chip against United States. The IRGC has large accounts in many European banks and transfer of money is as easy as it is illegal.  Last year the FBI discovered the illegal activities of the Iranian bank Melli branch in Manhattan and learned in the process that nine European banks were involved in laundering Iranian money in to the United States. Today's Iran is no longer run only by the Ayatollahs. With the power that the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corp has slowly gained, the IRGC appears to be now more in control than the Ayatollahs. The question that begs an answer, given these parameters, is who will be negotiating partner on the other side, in these imminent negotiations that the State Department will be conducting with the Iranian regime? FamilySecurityMatters.orgContributing EditorManda Zand Ervin is a human rights activist for the Iranian women and children and the founder of the Alliance of Iranian Women.