The Rise of the Pasdaran

Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC)—also known as the Pasdaran (Persian for “guards”)—was initially created by Ayatollah Khomeini during the 1978–1979 Islamic Revolution as an ideological guard for the nascent regime. Since then, it has evolved into an expansive socio-political-economic conglomerate whose influence extends into virtually every corner of Iranian political life and society. Many high-ranking officials are former Pasdaran, while the IRGC controls media outlets and a wide variety of commercial enterprises, including both government contracting and illicit smuggling and black-market enterprises. In this book, the authors examine the IRGC less as a traditional military entity and more as a domestic actor, emphasizing its multidimensional nature and the variety of roles it plays in Iran's political culture, economy, and society.