CIAO DATE: 09/2008
August 2007
The Washington Institute for Near East Policy
Understanding the impact of Washington's expected designation of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a foreign terrorist organization requires knowing what role the Revolutionary Guards play in Iranian society. Apart from being a military force with naval, air, and ground components organized in parallel to the conventional Iranian military, the Revolutionary Guards are the spine of the current political structure and a major player in the Iranian economy.
Resource link: PolicyWatch #1273: Iran's Revolutionary Guards Corps, Inc. [PDF] - 13K