Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps

From nuclear proliferation to support of international terrorism, to human rights abuses, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has made Iran the global menace that Iran is today. The IRGC is responsible for squashing democracy movements at home, for spreading the Iranian regime's revolutionary ideology abroad, and for sparking turmoil throughout the Middle East. Its forces operate independently of Iran's regular army. It answers directly only to one man, Iran's Supreme Leader. While most understand the role of the IRGC in fueling conflict throughout the region, its hidden grasp on the Iranian economy is just as important. Most of Iran's major businesses are nationalized and under the control of the IRGC. They have about 30 percent of the Iranian economy. The IRGC has been labeled Iran's "most powerful economic actor" by the U.S. Treasury Department, which has noted its deep reach into "critical sectors of Iran's economic infrastructure." The IRGC's biggest, largest entity is the construction arm which controls 800 affiliated companies. It controls billions of assets. The IRGC's business activities in turn fund Iran's ballistic missile program, its military activities, and its regional aggression.