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?ods (Jerusalem) Force, Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC - Pasdaran~ Intelligence Agencies Page 1of4
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Qods (Jerusalem) Force DATE 07-29-2010 BY 60324 uc baw/sab/lsg
Iranian Revolutio~aryGuard Corps (IRGC - Pas4arane
Inqilab)
While the Constitution ofIran entrusts the military with guarding Iran's territorial
integrity and political independence,. it gives the Revolutionary Guard [pasdaran] the
responsibility of guardi~gthe Revolution itself. Established under a decree issued by
Khomeini on May 5, 1979, the Pasdaran was intended to guard the Revolution and to
assist the ruling clerics in the day-to-day enforcement ofthe government's Islamic codes
and morality. The Revolution also needed to rely on a force ofits own rather than
borrowing the previous regime's tainted units.
By 1986 the Pasdaran consisted of350,000 personnel organized in battalion-size units
that operated either independently or with units ofthe regular anned forces. In 1986 the
Pasdaran acquired small naval and air elements. By 1996 the ground and naval forces
were reported to number 100,000 and 20,000, respectively.
Domestic Operations
The Pasdaran has maintained an intelligence branch to monitor the regime's domestic
adversaries and to participate in their arrests and trials. Khomeiili implied Pasdaran
involvement in intelligence when he congratulated the Pasdaran on the arrest ofIranian
communist Tudeh leaders. The Baseej (volunteers) come under the control ofthe
ReYolutionary Guards. In 1995, up to 900,000 baseej were moQilized. The Baseej
allegedly also monitor the activities ofcitizens, and harass or arrest women whose
clothing does not cover the hair and all ofthe 1Jody except hands and face, or those who
wear makeup. During the year ending in June 1995, they reportedly "notified 907,246
people,verbally and issued 370,079 written notices against 'social corruption' and
arrested 86,190 people, and also broke up 542 'corrupt gangs', arresting their 2,618
members, -and seized 86,591 indecent videocassette_~ alld pQ9tqgraphs.
http://fas.orglirp/world/iranlqods/ 6/15/04