IRGC.
Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. A parallel military to the regular army.
Reports to the Supreme Leader. Runs Iran's foreign operations through the Quds Force.
Why it matters: IRGC moves often signal escalation that prices into oil and insurance before official statements.
Technical and plain English.
IRGC (Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps; Persian: Sepah-e Pasdaran-e Enghelab-e Eslami). Iran's parallel military force, established in 1979 by Ayatollah Khomeini following the Islamic Revolution. Operates independently from the conventional Iranian army (Artesh), reports directly to the Supreme Leader rather than the elected government, and conducts foreign operations through its Quds Force branch. Controls significant portions of Iran's economy through subsidiary companies. Designated a Foreign Terrorist Organization by the US in 2019.
Iran has two militaries. The regular one (Artesh) defends the country like a normal army. The IRGC is the regime's separate force. Created after the 1979 revolution to make sure nobody overthrows the Islamic Republic. It reports to the Supreme Leader, runs Iran's proxy operations across the Middle East, and owns huge chunks of Iran's economy. When Western news mentions "Iranian-backed" anything, it's usually IRGC.
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