Jerusalem Post author says internal pressure on IRGC is growing in Iran
In Iran, an increasing share of the resources of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) may be directed toward internal security due to the risk of new protests and the activity of armed groups in border regions. This assessment was expressed in a column for the Jerusalem Post by Salem al-Ketbi, a political analyst from the UAE.
The author writes that personnel changes took place in Iran’s military and security leadership in August. According to his information, Ahmad Vahidi became head of the IRGC, Mostafa Izadi became his deputy, and former IRGC intelligence chief Hossein Taeb returned to lead the Basij paramilitary force. Mohsen Rezaei was also appointed secretary of the Supreme National Security Council and the supreme leader’s representative in that body.
Control over protests
According to al-Ketbi, the Basij is one of the main instruments for monitoring society and suppressing demonstrations. In August, Iran International, which the source describes as a media outlet opposed to the Iranian authorities, published a recording presented as audio from a closed meeting of the media and cyberspace headquarters. According to the recording, participants discussed the possibility of new protests, the narrowing of the social environment favorable to the Basij, and increased monitoring of opposition activity on social media.
The column also mentions the killing of pro-government religious singer Hamidreza Rajabzadeh. The motives for the incident are being investigated, and accounts of its circumstances differ.
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According to data from the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights cited by the author, since March 19, Iranian authorities have executed at least 56 people on charges in cases related to national security. Of these, 27 executions were in cases related to protests at the beginning of the year, while more than 100 other people were awaiting the implementation of death sentences. In August, Germany, 31 other countries and the EU High Representative condemned the execution of protesters and the use of the death penalty to suppress dissent.
Border regions
Opposition reports spoke of the deployment of IRGC reinforcements and troops to the border with Iraq in Iran’s Kurdish areas, as well as restrictions on access to Kurdistan’s border zones. In Balochistan, the People’s Front of Fighters was created in December, a Baloch armed structure that emerged after the merger of Jaish al-Adl with other Baloch factions. The Front claimed attacks on security forces and the IRGC near Zahedan and in other areas.
In the author’s view, these internal challenges are forcing Tehran to spend more personnel, financial and intelligence resources on protecting the regime inside the country. At the same time, he notes that the IRGC retains a significant missile arsenal, extensive security structures and networks of regional influence.
