The Revolutionary Guards: An Introduction
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) is the Islamic Republic of Iran’s most important institution. The military-security institution commands huge influence in every aspect of Iranian public life, from culture and the environment to the economy, politics and judicial process. Whatever the field or area, the IRGC is not required to report to anybody and is answerable to no one.
The IRGC was created early after the 1979 Islamic Revolution by the order of the founder of the Islamic Republic, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini. Its declared mission was to safeguard the revolution and its accomplishments. As the years have gone by, it has expanded its sphere of activities. The entities under its control have multiplied to such a degree that it now operates effectively as a parallel government. It interferes in all current affairs of the country and it aims to have control over every aspect of the way Iran is run.
In a series of reports, IranWire presents a detailed portrait of this powerful and mysterious institution and, for the first time, identifies and explains all bodies, institutions and other entities operating under the umbrella of the Revolutionary Guards, at the same time outlining its activities through an infographic and an interactive diagram.
The infographic is a visual representation of the Guards’ organizational structure and presents all institutions under the control of IRGC in one map. It resembles a family tree, a portrait of the IRGC with all its children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren — a dramatic picture of power in Iran today.
In the interactive diagram, the viewer is able to use the mouse to see how various entities under the control of the Guards emerged, and how they are connected — exactly like a family tree.
IranWire has aimed for this series and the overall project to be informative and a solid research tool. But it is not perfect, and there will always be room for updates, enhancements and further information. We welcome your views, ideas and knowledge, so please do get in touch via email, Twitter or Facebook.
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IRGC Cooperative Foundation (Bonyad-e Ta’avon-e Sepah)
The IRGC Cooperative Foundation was established on August 23, 1986. According to its statute, the organization is a non-profit entity run by its board of trustees under the supervision of the IRGC. The board of trustees is appointed by the Supreme Leader. Additionally, if the organization seeks to establish new franchises outside the country, the Supreme Leader’s approval is necessary.
The foundation’s mission is stated as “providing the IRGC’s permanent personnel with financial loans, mortgages, business loans, and also with land and construction materials.”
Until December 2014, the foundation was tax-exempt. It is prohibited from involvement in military affairs, and its revenue is designated solely for housing provisions for the IRGC and Basij cadre. The foundation’s income includes revenue from manufacturing, construction, and commercial projects, joint ventures with other organizations, as well as financial assistance from the IRGC, loans and public donations.
According to the statute, the foundation’s capital and properties belong to the Supreme Leader, and if the foundation is ever dissolved, these assets will be transferred to him after settling debts. The foundation’s statute was ratified in May 1993 and confirmed by the Supreme Leader.
Board of Trustees
The chair of the board is the chief commander of the IRGC. Other members include the Supreme Leader’s representative in the IRGC, the Basij commander, commanders of the IRGC’s Navy, Ground, and Aerospace Forces, the head of the IRGC Intelligence Protection Agency, and a high-ranking IRGC officer representing the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Iran.
The board’s recommendations for statute amendments, policy changes, opening branches outside Iran, or dissolution of the foundation require the Supreme Leader’s confirmation. The board is responsible for appointing a five-member executive committee, the CEO, and inspectors. They also oversee the foundation’s performance, review its budget, and prepare annual income statements, reporting in all cases to the Supreme Leader.
Chief Executive Officer (CEO)
The CEO of the IRGC Cooperative Foundation is the top executive, recommended by the Executive Committee and confirmed by the Board of Trustees, with a two-year tenure. The appointment is officially announced by the chief commander of the IRGC, who is the head of the board of trustees. The CEO also appoints the foundation’s deputy director.
Scope of Operations
The IRGC Cooperative Foundation is involved in diverse projects, including housing, telecommunications, car manufacturing, banking, agriculture, food, and mining. It operates 24 housing cooperative units in various provinces of Iran.
One of the foundation's most significant financial assets was Ansar Bank. It was also a major shareholder in Mehr Eqtesad Bank and the financial institution Samen-ol-A'emeh.
Originally known as the Ansar al-Mojahedin No-Interest Loan Institute (Sandogh-e Gharz al-Hassaneh-ye Ansar al-Mojahedin), Ansar Bank was created to provide no-interest loans to veterans and active-duty members of the paramilitary Basij Organization. It became a subsidiary of the IRGC Cooperative Foundation in 1986. It was later transformed into Ansar Bank in 2007. However, in January 2019, all banks affiliated with the armed forces merged with Sepah Bank, leading to the transfer of some of the foundation’s assets to Sepah Bank. As a result, the IRGC Cooperative Foundation became an indirect shareholder in Sepah Bank through entities previously managed by Ansar Bank.
The Cooperative Foundation and the Khatam-al-Anbiya Construction Headquarters own and operate luxury hotels — an enterprise that may seem at odds with the traditional values of the Revolutionary Guards but highlights the foundation’s increasing business acumen and wealth-generation focus.
The full extent of the foundation’s activities is difficult to assess accurately. It has been under U.S. sanctions since 2010, and foundation managers frequently trade significant stocks, relocate and rename subsidiaries, and establish new companies — largely to maintain anonymity and evade sanctions.
Y.A.S. Financial Holdings, a major partner of the foundation, was accused of corruption and went bankrupt after it was sued for 130 trillion Iranian rials. It is almost impossible to find out what has happened to most companies owned by Y.A.S. Holdings since the conglomerate went bankrupt.
The following is the list of subsidiaries and companies that are linked with the IRGC Cooperative Foundation.
Warriors’ Housing Jihad. The company is a contractor in construction based in Tehran. The shareholder of this company is Shahab Sang Company which is owned by the IRGC Cooperative Foundation. One of the most important projects of this company is Phase 2 of the Shahid Kharrazi Project in Tehran’s District 22. This project includes four 29-story residential towers.
Iranian Atlas Company It was founded in 1986 as Iran Atlas Business and Industrial company with the aim of business, industrial and manufacturing operations. Since 2005, the company expanded its activities in construction of residential, public and business buildings and complexes and investment in construction industry. The company was a main contractor in the Atlas Mall Project. The company has also been a contractor in partnership with Khatam-al-Anbiya Headquarters in Haqqani Metro Project.
Tose-e Etemad Mobin Company was established in 2004 as Tose-e Etemad Investment Company. The company is a subsidiary of the IRGC Cooperative Foundation specializing in telecommunications. In 2009, the company formed the Etemad-e Mobin Consortium with the IRGC’s other subsidiary Shahriar Mahestan and together with Iran Mobin Electronic Development Company, a subsidiary of the Executive Headquarters of Imam’s directives, Acquired 51 percent share of the Telecommunication Company of Iran for the U.S. $8 billion. In January 2018, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei ordered the armed forces to divest itself of economic activities “unrelated to its main mission”. In October 2018, Iranian media reported that the IRGC Cooperative Foundation handed over its share in the Telecommunication Company of Iran to step down as the shareholder of the Etemad Mobin Consortium. However, the media provided no details about this transfer of shares.
Negin Khatam Investment Company. This company became one of the major shareholders of Ansar bank following the Bank’s handover of its shares to Tehran stock market in summer of 2011. According to available information, by 2017, this company owned 7.54% of Ansar Bank’s shares, making it the fifth largest shareholder. In 2020, when Ansar Bank merged with Sepah Bank, no updated information about Negin Khatam Investment Co.'s shareholdings in Sepah Bank has been made available.
Moj-e Nasr Gostar Telecommunications and Electronics Company operates in communication networks and security, offering a wide range of products used by transportation, road construction companies, and relief agencies throughout Iran. The company is also involved in building data centers and installing CCTV cameras and telecommunications towers.
Navid Bahman Shoes Co., founded in 1976, manufactures a variety of footwear for military, sports, and general use. It was confiscated by the Islamic Republic government following the 1979 revolution.
Talieh Sabz Jehan Group Company has been involved in various projects, including road and highway construction, though details about the full scope of its activities remain limited. On September 10, 2024, the U.S. Department of Treasury sanctioned the company.
Dastvareh Logistics and Training Institute is owned by the Talieh Sabzeh Jehan Group Company which is linked with the IRGC Cooperative Foundation.
Kosar Ayandeh Sazan-e Farda Co offers insurance services across a variety of sectors.
Sepahan Samen-ol-A'emeh Air Travel, Tourism and Pilgrimage Agency, based in Tehran, provides a comprehensive range of services to travelers and pilgrims.
Hami Natural Flavor Products, established in 2014, aims to address shortcomings in the supply chain of medicinal herbs and plants.
The Medicinal Herbs Processing Center and Refinery, the first of its kind in Iran, uses advanced technology to process and standardize products from 25 top medicinal herbs.
Soroush Parsian Capital Support Agricultural Group operates in agriculture, animal husbandry, aquaculture, medicinal plants, agricultural processing industries, and the import/export of various agricultural products.
Pouya Sepehr Aflak Company- Specific details about the activities of this company is limited, but according to one source, it engages in “conducting all permitted commercial and business transactions, including exports and imports, securing domestic and foreign loans, leasing operations, consulting services, investments, and company formation. It also participates in productive and non-governmental projects that align with its objectives.
Tehran Area Mine Development Company is active in various aspects of mining, not restricted to the Tehran area. In 2022, it sought bids for mechanical and electrical installations in Tehran and Razavi Khorasan provinces.
Ofogh Saberin Development Engineering Company, founded in 2011, supplies software and hardware to Iranian intelligence agencies like the IRGC Intelligence Organization. Due to sanctions, it utilizes third countries such as Malaysia, Dubai, China, and Singapore to acquire restricted technology.
Shahid Mahallati Educational and Cultural Institute, located in Tehran’s Shahid Mahallati Borough —home to many IRGC commanders and senior officials—oversees educational and cultural activities for local children. The institute also organizes cultural, artistic and educational festivals.
Environmental Thought and Restoration Engineering Company, founded in 2003, undertakes a vast array of declared projects including research, training, consulting, design, production, implementation and supervision. Its focus areas include construction, environmental safety and risk reduction, civilian defense, information and communication technology, electrical and mechanical engineering, oil and gas and petrochemicals, information security and humanitarian cleanup.
Saman Bana-Gostar Behsaz Development Company is active in the production and sale of construction equipment, machinery and materials.
Pardis-e Sabz-e Melal Company is active in various fields including agriculture, food industry and development projects.
Shahid Dastvareh Training Center, situated in Tehran’s Esteghlal Borough, is one of the IRGC’s training centers for teaching logistics and support.
Amad Behineh-Saz Engineering Company is responsible for the design and production of mechanical and electronic parts. On September 10, 2024, this company was put on the sanctions list of the US Department of Treasury.
Naserin Vahid Company is active in manufacturing industrial equipment and machinery.
Chahar Mahal and Bakhtiari Yeast Company, founded in 2002, this company is a major producer of bread yeast in Iran. Its product, marketed under the brand name Klar Mayeh, has been exported to various countries in the region including Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Ferdows Agro-Industry Company is active in various areas of agriculture and animal husbandry such as poultry and fish farming and cultivation of medicinal herbs and rice.
Khorasan Agro-Industry Company, founded in 2011, is active in Razavi Khorasan province, mostly producing tomato sauce and jams.
Pouya Research and Pardis Electronics Engineering Company is active in designing and manufacturing electronics and telecommunication tools and equipment.
Iranian Behsaz Faraz Company is a construction company and has participated in various commercial and residential construction projects.
Shahab Sang Industrial Mining Company was founded in 1991 and with the aim of exploring, extracting and processing minerals. It is one of the major suppliers of precious stones in the country. According to the company’s website, it supplies a major part of domestic and foreign markets’ demand by exploiting a number of great mines located in Iran’s provinces. This company is owned by the IRGC Cooperative Foundation and is also a shareholder of the Housing Jihad for Warriors Co.
The Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces
The Chief Commander of the IRGC
The Supreme Leader’s Representative in the IRGC
The IRGC Security and Intelligence Agencies
The IRGC's Social, Cultural, Scientific and Educational Institutions
The IRGC Commercial and Financial Institutions-(Khatam-al-Anbiya Construction Headquarters)
The IRGC Commercial and Financial Institutions-(Bonyad-e Ta’avon-e Sepah)
The Organization for the Mobilization of the Oppressed
The Basij Cooperative Foundation
Cyberspace Institutions and The Physical Training Organization of the Basij
Basij Headquarters and Military Organizations
Basij Social and Cultural Organizations
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