On April 15, Qasem Soleimani, the head of Iran’s elite Quds Force, traveled to Moscow for talks with Russian political and military officials regarding the two countries’ strategies in Syria and the delivery of Russia’s S-300 surface-to-air missile system to Iran. Despite an international ban that prohibits Soleimani from legally traveling abroad, this trip marks the second (or possibly third) time that the shadowy Iranian general has visited the Russian Federation in the last year – a testament to Moscow’s importance in Iranian foreign policy.
The Quds Force represents a critical branch of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), a powerful paramilitary organization that, according to the Iranian constitution, is charged with preserving the Islamic revolution. Formed in 1979, the IRGC plays a key role in Iranian domestic and foreign affairs, and the Quds Force, headed by Soleimani, conducts the IRGC’s extraterritorial operations.
“The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps is Iran’s most powerful security and military organization, responsible for the protection and survival of the regime,” writes Cipher Brief expert and Senior Policy Analyst at the RAND Corporation, Alireza Nader.
The IRGC’s chief responsibilities include preventing foreign meddling in Iranian affairs and protecting the Iranian government. As part of its strategy to obstruct “foreign meddling” and advance Tehran’s agenda, the IRGC, and specifically the Quds Force, supports its allies in the Middle East.
“The Quds Force provides weapons, personnel, training, and logistical support to a web of pro-Iranian militia groups across the Middle East and beyond,” explains Emad Kiyaei, a Cipher Brief Expert and Executive Director of the American Iranian Council. “The Quds Force has nurtured such relationships for years, subsequently reaping great rewards,” he continues.
This strategy is aimed at counteracting what Iran perceives as looming threats – headlined by the United States’ military presence in the Middle East, the U.S.-Israel alliance, and Saudi Arabia’s more aggressive approach to security in the region – while simultaneously expanding Iran’s clout.
“Today, the IRGC sees protecting and projecting Tehran’s influence as a critical goal of its actions in Syria, Iraq, and Yemen, which have become part of a broader proxy war between Iran and Saudi Arabia,” writes former Senior CIA Analyst and Cipher Brief expert Steven Ward.
In several Middle Eastern countries, the IRGC has carved out a substantial footprint that has affected political and security dynamics on the ground. Throughout the Syrian civil war, the IRGC has come to the aid of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, who serves as a critical ally for the regime in Tehran. Under Assad, Iran has been able to freely transport weapons and funds to its proxy group in southern Lebanon, Hezbollah. Keeping Assad in power and this transfer route open is a top priority for the Iranian government.
Further, the IRGC has played a critical role in fomenting political instability in Iraq. Former Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Malaki, whose policies marginalized Iraqi Sunnis and helped pave the way for the rise of ISIS, was known to maintain close ties to the Shi’ite regime in Tehran and the IRGC. Several powerful Shi’ite militia groups in Iraq have also received support from the IRGC and work to promote Iranian interests in the country.
Additionally, the IRGC has been linked to the ongoing conflict in Yemen, providing weapons and funds to the Houthi rebels. To some experts, the violence in Yemen is a microcosm of a larger war between Iran and Saudi Arabia, and Iran has channeled its resources into ensuring that Saudi Arabia becomes bogged down in Yemen.
Even in Bahrain, the IRGC has lit fires and provoked political unrest, as the country’s majority-Shi’ites have participated in several sizable rallies and protests against the Sunni-led government in recent years.
As the U.S. seeks to diffuse tensions in the Middle East, the IRGC will continue to look for ways to promote Iran’s hegemonic ambitions. And much of the IRGC’s freedom of reign can be attributed to the Iranian regime’s unwavering trust in its paramilitary force. “The IRGC’s sacrifices to the cause in the incipient years of the Islamic Republic laid the groundwork for their expansive role in the socio-economic, political and military domain of the country,” writes Kiyaei.
The IRGC is the engine that drives Iranian foreign policy, and its tactics and maneuvers will continue to create ripple effects across the Middle East.
Bennett Seftel is the Deputy Director of Editorial with The Cipher Brief
