Revolutionary Guards More Than an Elite Corps
August 26, 2007 by pulkit
The Iranian Revolutionary Guards that valiantly defended the country against Iraq during the Iraq-Iran war have evolved into a political and financial power. They reportedly hold a stranglehold on the countries key industries like construction with a market cap (a term generally not used for a military force) of $12 billion dollars. Its political muscle has also bulged with 2 out of every three members of Ahmadinejad’s cabinet being ex-Guard members. Ex-Guard members are present in political corridors in huge numbers.
They seemed to be above any economic watch-dog in the country. Their political and economic might means that they can act autonomously. The huge corpus of funds might just be used to furnish weapons to the Iraqi insurgents and renegade groups like the Mahdi Army. So, the stablization of Iraq might only be possible if the insurgents stop getting monetary support and arms from foreign agencies like the IRG. For this to happen IRG’s economic and political might will have to wane quickly, which is highly unlikely as only the Iranian government can do that and not the international community.
Iranian officials have disclosed an estimated $6 billion in contracts the Revolutionary Guard has received over the years — a figure equivalent to one-tenth of Iran’s annual exports of $66.7 billion, mainly oil. The nation’s annual gross domestic product is about $204 billion, unadjusted for cost of living. [source]
