Name: Irans Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps — who are they?
Uploaded: 2026-01-15T14:27:02.524Z
Duration: 1 min 53 s
Description: The IRGC is estimated to be a force of 150,000 elite troops, backed by a 600,000-strong Basij paramilitary network. In return for their loyalty, Tehran grants them a massive gold chest: a budget estimated at $6 to $9 billion, nearly double that of the regular army.

The IRGC is estimated to be a force of 150,000 elite troops, backed by a 600,000-strong Basij paramilitary network. In return for their loyalty, Tehran grants them a massive gold chest: a budget estimated at $6 to $9 billion, nearly double that of the regular army.

Tehran

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) was established in 1979 to protect the ideology of Iran's revolution and answers directly to the supreme leader. With an estimated 100,000 elite troops and a large paramilitary network, the IRGC wields significant military and economic power, operating major business sectors and receiving a substantial state budget.

Despite calls from the European Parliament to designate the IRGC as a terrorist organization, EU law requires a national court ruling and consensus among member states. A recent German court case has provided legal grounds for further action, and European leaders are now considering additional sanctions to pressure the Iranian regime.

Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps — who are they?

This theocracy should no longer be in power. European Parliament President Robert Amezzola was clear on Euronews. The Iranian regime is on its last legs. But standing between the protesters and the regime there is one ruthless entity. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. Who are they? They are not just an army. They are an elite killing machine founded in 1979 to protect the ideology of the revolution. And they answer only to the supreme leader. It is an estimated force of 100,000 elite troops backed by a 600,000 strong Basij paramilitary network. In return for their loyalty the state grants them a massive gold chest, 6 to 9 billion dollars, a budget estimated to be nearly double that of the regular army. But they are also a business conglomerate, an empire within an empire, controlling sectors from energy to telecoms. And with thousands of protesters presumed dead, these billions buy the loyalty that pulls the trigger. So why hasn't the EU designated them as a terrorist organisation yet? The European Parliament has called for it for years. But EU law requires a national court ruling first and a consensus next. A recent court case in Germany finally provided the legal cover. European leaders are now calling for more sanctions to hurt the regime economically. But will these actions be enough to stop the massacre on the streets of Tehran?

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