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The 'Sepah' is responsible for imposing Iran's Islamic influence, both locally and among foreign entities

Irans Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) known by the Iranian public as Sepah is one of the many outspoken threats to Israel in the Middle East.

Set up 40 years ago to defend the countrys Islamic system, the IRGC has since become a major military, political, and economic force.

Today, the Guard Corps is responsible for imposing Irans Islamic influence, including reminding Israel that it will confront the Jewish state wherever it feels necessary.

The IRGC was founded as an ideological custodian of Irans 1979 revolution, which culminated in the replacement of the Iranian government with an Islamist republic.

Before the Islamic Revolution, Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi who was ousted in the revolt relied solely on military might to ensure national security.After Pahlavi was overthrown, the new clerics established the Guard Corps as a force to consolidate their leadership and Islamic ideals.

The Sepah was tasked with unifying paramilitary forces and serving as a counterweight to the regular army, which was originally loyal to the Shah.

Independent from the Iranian Armed Forces, the IRGC is estimated to have more than 190,000 active personnel under the command of Gen. Hossein Salami.

The Sepah is made up of six branches, including its ground forces, air force, and Nuclear Command Corps.

Its navy is primarily tasked with patrolling the Strait of Hormuz, a waterway connecting the Persian Gulf to the Indian Ocean through which 20 percent of the worlds oil supply passes.

The remaining branches Basij and the Quds Force are two of the Guard Corps' more notable paramilitary groups.

The Basij Resistance Force is a volunteer militia of almost 100,000 active personnel, who are often called out onto the streets to suppress domestic dissent.

It was established with the founding of the IRGC in 1979, launching so-called human wave attacks which involved clearing minefields or drawing enemy fire.

Today, the force consists of young Iranian volunteers known as Basijis who engage in internal security, law enforcement, and policing morals.

Perhaps the most prominent IRGC entity is the Quds Force, which handles activities abroad, including unconventional warfare and intelligence gathering.

The paramilitary group became active in 1982 during the Lebanese Civil War and is estimated to be up to 5,000-troops strong.

It supports many non-state actors with funding, training, and arms including Hezbollah in Lebanon, Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad in Gaza, Yemens Houthi rebels, and Shia militias in Iraq, Syria, and Afghanistan.

The United States accuses the Quds Force of being responsible for attacks in the Middle East that resulted in the deaths of hundreds of American and allied military personnel.

Thus, the US labeled the IRGC and namely the Quds Force as a Foreign Terrorist Organization in 2019 for their continued support to and engagement in terrorist activity around the world, a designation that Iran routinely condemns.

IranIraq War The IRGCs participation in pushing back an Iraqi offensive from 1980 to 1988 led to the expansion of both its role and its might.

2006 Lebanon War Iranian military support to Lebanon's Hezbollah led some to consider it as what sparked the Iran-Israel proxy conflict.

Syrian Civil War Iran sees the survival of the Syrian government as being crucial to its regional interests, helping local troops in their fight against forces that oppose President Bashar al-Assads regime.

Since its origin as an ideologically driven militia, Sepah has taken a greater role in nearly every aspect of Iranian society.

Reutersdescribed the IRGC as an industrial empire with political clout," and many analysts argue that its influence is even heavier than Irans Shia clerical system.

Despite having an estimated 230,000 fewer troops than Irans regular military, it is considered the Islamic republics dominant military force.According to the US, Iran also has the largest ballistic missile force under IRGC supervision in the Middle East.

Its former general Qasem Soleimani was also something of a celebrity in Iran, a spotlight short-lived after he was killed in a 2020 US drone strike.

The IRGCs popular power, combined with close ties to and the strong support of Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, makes it a key player in Iranian politics. It is common for Sepah officers to occupy influential government positionsand advise the supreme leader.

It is thought that Sepah also controls around a third of Irans economy.

Regarding the public arena, the Guard Corps is active in housing development as well as dam and road construction, oil and gas projects, food, transportation, and educational and cultural activities.

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Explainer: Iran's IRGC A Force To Reckon With - i24NEWS