Iran, terrorism and the rise of the revolutionary guards’ financial empire – Fox News
Over the past decade, a significant portion of Irans economic institutions have been handed off to the office of the Supreme Leader under the guise of privatization.
The driving force behind this stunning power grab is the expanding sphere of influence of Khamenei's office and the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) over Irans economic resources.
This so-called privatization campaign is a decisive turning point beginning in 2005, when Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and the IRGC stacked the executive with people who completely at least initially shared Khameneis strategic vision for the regime. At this point, Khamenei began to implement a profound restructuring of Iran's economy, including the ownership of a wide range of industries and institutions.
This first took the form of an official directive issued in May 2005. The government was instructed to transfer 80 percent of its economic enterprises to "non-government public, private and cooperative sectors" by the end of 2009. Among these were large mines, primary industries (including downstream oil and gas), foreign commerce, banks, insurance, power generation, post, roads, railroads, airlines, and shipping companies. By some estimates, close to $12B in shares were transferred over just three years, from 2005 to 2008.
The beneficiaries of the bulk of these transfers were the Supreme Leaders office and its various tentacles, including the dominant Setad, the armed services, and the infamous bonyads or foundations. The implications are better grasped in light of the fact that these institutions exercise virtually absolute control over all decision-making, legislative mechanisms, intelligence gathering, and access to significant budgetary commitments. The resulting powerhouses that have arisen act as the main players and the gatekeepers for western companies into the Iranian economy.
The newly published Rise of the Revolutionary Guards' Financial Empire: How the Supreme Leader and the IRGC Rob the People to Fund International Terror released by the U.S. office of the National Council of Resistance of Iran highlights 14 economic powerhouses directly or indirectly controlled by Khamenei, the IRGC, or their affiliates. Setad's holdings alone total about $95 billion, according to a recent Reuters calculation. All these entities are tax-exempt while some also receive annual government funding.
The Supreme Leader and the IRGC control at least 50 percent of Irans GDP.
But where do the profits go? They end up funding the conflict in Syria, terrorism and sectarianism in Iraq, the war in Yemen, the nuclear and missile programs, the security apparatus in Iran, and fundamentalist operations around the world. In the end, Irans national economy has been made to serve the domestic suppression, warmongering, export of fundamentalism, and terrorism.
Tehran is spending between $15-20 billion annually to fund the war in Syria, including at least $1B in salaries to its proxies. IRGC Qods Force commander Qassem Soleimani spends billions of dollars in Iraq to fund the Shiite militias and instigate sectarian violence. At least one billion dollars is provided to Hezbollah in Lebanon annually, and Tehran has poured at least 1.3 billion dollars into the coffers of Hamas.
Western companies would like the deals they make with Iran to be seen as transactions with the private sector. However, behind the official banks and companies lies a web of institutions controlled by the IRGC.
Western companies, governments, and the citizens they represent cannot avoid the reality that today those running Irans economy are those who suppress the Iranian population and export the terrorism and fundamentalist ideology that threaten the West.
To do business with Iran is to do business with Khamenei and the IRGC.
The Trump administration now has a unique opportunity to help cut off resources to the IRGC and impose limitations on its profit-making, terror-funding operation, by designating the IRGC for what it is: a Foreign Terrorist Organization.
Congress would certainly agree with this bipartisan issue.
Alireza Jafarzadeh, the deputy director of the Washington office of the National Council of Resistance of Iran, is credited with exposing Iranian nuclear sites in Natanz and Arak in 2002, triggering International Atomic Energy Agency inspections. He is the author of "The Iran Threat" (Palgrave MacMillan: 2008). His email is Jafarzadeh@ncrius.org.
View post:
Iran, terrorism and the rise of the revolutionary guards' financial empire - Fox News
- Iran assesses the damage and lashes out after Israeli and US strikes damage its nuclear sites - AP News - July 2nd, 2025 [July 2nd, 2025]
- Iran Suspected of Scouting Jewish Targets in Europe - WSJ - July 2nd, 2025 [July 2nd, 2025]
- Opinion | War With Iran Exposes the Emptiness of the Axis of Autocracy - Politico - July 2nd, 2025 [July 2nd, 2025]
- Iran Pivots Toward China, But Is Beijing Ready To Play Ball? - Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty - July 2nd, 2025 [July 2nd, 2025]
- The global implications of the US strikes on Iran - Brookings - July 2nd, 2025 [July 2nd, 2025]
- Iran readied to mine Strait of Hormuz after Israel began strikes US sources - The Times of Israel - July 2nd, 2025 [July 2nd, 2025]
- Hackers tied to Iran preparing calculated smear campaign on Trump, cyber agency says - Politico - July 2nd, 2025 [July 2nd, 2025]
- Refinery hit by Iran missiles emitting 100 times higher than usual levels of benzene - The Times of Israel - July 2nd, 2025 [July 2nd, 2025]
- US calls reported threats by pro-Iran hackers to release Trump-tied material a 'smear campaign' - AP News - July 2nd, 2025 [July 2nd, 2025]
- Trump and Noem want CNN prosecuted for Iran, immigration reporting - Axios - July 2nd, 2025 [July 2nd, 2025]
- Israel-Iran live updates: Trump says he is not 'talking to' Iran - ABC News - Breaking News, Latest News and Videos - July 2nd, 2025 [July 2nd, 2025]
- Donald Trumps Attack on Iran May Have Made the Nuclear Crisis Worse - Rolling Stone - July 2nd, 2025 [July 2nd, 2025]
- Israel and Iran Have Set the Stage for the Next War - Jacobin - July 2nd, 2025 [July 2nd, 2025]
- Iran says needs time before talks with US, claims it can start enriching again quickly - The Times of Israel - July 2nd, 2025 [July 2nd, 2025]
- The attacks on Iran didnt achieve anything more than harm nonproliferation - Al Jazeera - July 2nd, 2025 [July 2nd, 2025]
- Iran: More than 900 killed in war with Israel - The Hill - July 2nd, 2025 [July 2nd, 2025]
- First it was regime change, now they want to break Iran apart - Responsible Statecraft - July 2nd, 2025 [July 2nd, 2025]
- Iran Threatens To Release 100GB of Trump Aides' Emails: What To Know - Newsweek - July 2nd, 2025 [July 2nd, 2025]
- Israel was facing destruction at the hands of Iran. This is how close it came, and how it saved itself - The Times of Israel - July 2nd, 2025 [July 2nd, 2025]
- Sleeper cells and threat warnings: how the US-Iran conflict is spinning up fear - The Guardian - July 2nd, 2025 [July 2nd, 2025]
- Iran raises death toll from war with Israel to more than 900 - AP News - July 2nd, 2025 [July 2nd, 2025]
- Iran's foreign minister doubtful talks with U.S. will resume quickly, but says "doors of diplomacy will never slam shut" - CBS News - July 2nd, 2025 [July 2nd, 2025]
- Senate votes down measure restricting Trump from further military action in Iran - CBS News - July 2nd, 2025 [July 2nd, 2025]
- Iran says Fordo, other nuke sites seriously damaged by bombings - The Times of Israel - July 2nd, 2025 [July 2nd, 2025]
- Iran Issues Safety Warning to Nuclear Inspectors - Newsweek - July 2nd, 2025 [July 2nd, 2025]
- UK, France, Germany condemn threats against IAEA head after Iran newspaper calls for his arrest - Reuters - July 2nd, 2025 [July 2nd, 2025]
- Tuesday briefing: How weakened is Iran after Operation Midnight Hammer and where might it go from here? - The Guardian - July 2nd, 2025 [July 2nd, 2025]
- Column | After Iran-Israel clash, theres more reason to fear a nuclear bomb - The Washington Post - July 2nd, 2025 [July 2nd, 2025]
- Trump considers forcing journalists to reveal sources who leaked Iran report - The Guardian - June 29th, 2025 [June 29th, 2025]
- Iran crackdown deepens with speedy executions and arrests - ABC News - Breaking News, Latest News and Videos - June 29th, 2025 [June 29th, 2025]
- Will Iran double down on its nuclear programme after the war? - Al Jazeera - June 29th, 2025 [June 29th, 2025]
- How Fox News helped champion Trumps attacks on Iran: I agree with the president - The Guardian - June 29th, 2025 [June 29th, 2025]
- Iran could start enriching uranium for bomb within months, UN nuclear chief says - BBC - June 29th, 2025 [June 29th, 2025]
- Trump continues to project optimism that strikes on Iran obliterated its nuclear program - Politico - June 29th, 2025 [June 29th, 2025]
- How to Assess the Damage of the Iran Strikes - The Atlantic - June 29th, 2025 [June 29th, 2025]
- Dont count on the Iran-Israel ceasefire lasting. What Netanyahu really wants is a forever war | Simon Tisdall - The Guardian - June 29th, 2025 [June 29th, 2025]
- Trump threatens to force journalists to reveal who leaked report undermining his narrative on Iran bombing - The Independent - June 29th, 2025 [June 29th, 2025]
- A week of shifting descriptions of Iran attack spark ongoing questions about extent of damage and goals - ABC News - Breaking News, Latest News and... - June 29th, 2025 [June 29th, 2025]
- Senate rejects Democratic bid to restrain Trump on Iran as GOP backs his strikes on nuclear sites - PBS - June 29th, 2025 [June 29th, 2025]
- Iran holds funeral for commanders and scientists killed in war with Israel - Reuters - June 29th, 2025 [June 29th, 2025]
- Iran says it poses no threat to IAEA chief after newspaper called for his execution - The Times of Israel - June 29th, 2025 [June 29th, 2025]
- Israel and U.S. Smashed Iran Nuclear Site That Grew After Trump Quit 2015 Accord - The New York Times - June 29th, 2025 [June 29th, 2025]
- 'Too early to tell' if Iran has given up its nuclear ambitions: Sen. Lindsey Graham - ABC News - Breaking News, Latest News and Videos - June 29th, 2025 [June 29th, 2025]
- Why manufacturing consent for war with Iran failed this time - Al Jazeera - June 29th, 2025 [June 29th, 2025]
- UN watchdog and intercepted Iran call undermine Trumps boasts about ending nuke program - The Independent - June 29th, 2025 [June 29th, 2025]
- Iran could resume uranium enrichment in matter of months, IAEA chief says - The Times of Israel - June 29th, 2025 [June 29th, 2025]
- Visualising 12 days of the Israel-Iran conflict - Al Jazeera - June 29th, 2025 [June 29th, 2025]
- Trump Should Have Never Ditched the Iran Nuclear Deal - Time Magazine - June 29th, 2025 [June 29th, 2025]
- Israel Vows To Maintain Air Superiority Over Iran - The War Zone - June 29th, 2025 [June 29th, 2025]
- Trumps Iran strikes threaten to roil elections in Michigan - The Hill - June 29th, 2025 [June 29th, 2025]
- US Senate votes down resolution to restrict Trump from escalating Iran war - The Guardian - June 28th, 2025 [June 28th, 2025]
- Trump dismisses reports US is weighing up to $30 billion civilian nuclear deal for Iran - Reuters - June 28th, 2025 [June 28th, 2025]
- With stunning campaign in Iran over for now, Israel turns back to Gaza slog - The Times of Israel - June 28th, 2025 [June 28th, 2025]
- Trump says Iran must open itself to inspection to verify it doesnt restart its nuclear program - AP News - June 28th, 2025 [June 28th, 2025]
- Senate Blocks War Powers Resolution to Limit Trumps Ability to Strike Iran Again - The New York Times - June 28th, 2025 [June 28th, 2025]
- Iran Carries Out String of Executions and Arrests Amid Fears of Infiltration of Israeli Spies - Time Magazine - June 28th, 2025 [June 28th, 2025]
- Mass state funeral in Iran honours top brass, nuclear scientists killed in war with Israel - France 24 - June 28th, 2025 [June 28th, 2025]
- Iran says open to transferring highly enriched uranium abroad - Al Monitor - - June 28th, 2025 [June 28th, 2025]
- Senate rejects resolution to curb Trump's use of military in Iran - USA Today - June 28th, 2025 [June 28th, 2025]
- Did the Attacks on Iran Succeed? - Foreign Affairs - June 28th, 2025 [June 28th, 2025]
- Rubio says he wants one-on-one talks with Iran but some in Congress remain skeptical - CNN - June 28th, 2025 [June 28th, 2025]
- Gulf states fear an unrestrained Israel will hurt fragile ties with Iran - The Washington Post - June 28th, 2025 [June 28th, 2025]
- Battling to survive, Hamas faces defiant clans and doubts over Iran - Reuters - June 28th, 2025 [June 28th, 2025]
- US attacks on Iran redraw calculus of use of force for allies and rivals around globe - The Guardian - June 28th, 2025 [June 28th, 2025]
- Iran arrests 700 'Israeli agents', but where are the weapons? - France 24 - June 28th, 2025 [June 28th, 2025]
- Iran's Ayatollah Khamenei claims victory over Israel, "a big slap in the face" to the U.S. - CBS News - June 28th, 2025 [June 28th, 2025]
- Iran mourns victims of conflict with Israel - CNN - June 28th, 2025 [June 28th, 2025]
- The Iran threat will haunt the Gulf for years - Financial Times - June 28th, 2025 [June 28th, 2025]
- The Most Significant Long-Term Consequence of the U.S. Strikes on Iran - Carnegie Endowment for International Peace - June 28th, 2025 [June 28th, 2025]
- Married couple, both IAF combat navigators, flew sorties over Iran during 12-day war - The Times of Israel - June 28th, 2025 [June 28th, 2025]
- What the Israel-Iran War and Ceasefire Mean for Chinas Relations With the U.S. and World - Time Magazine - June 28th, 2025 [June 28th, 2025]
- Trump says early report on damage to Iran's nuclear program was inconclusive - NPR - June 28th, 2025 [June 28th, 2025]
- What to Know About the U.S. Strike on Iran and the Israel-Iran Cease-Fire - The New York Times - June 28th, 2025 [June 28th, 2025]
- CNN, New York Times Reject Trumps Demands to Retract False and Unpatriotic Stories About Iran Bombing Raids: No Apology Will Be Forthcoming - Variety - June 28th, 2025 [June 28th, 2025]
- Trump vs US intelligence: Iran is only the latest chapter - Al Jazeera - June 28th, 2025 [June 28th, 2025]
- Iran moves to suspend cooperation with UN nuclear watchdog - Al Jazeera - June 28th, 2025 [June 28th, 2025]
- Trumps $30B pitch to get Iran back in negotiations after demolition of nuclear sites: report - The Independent - June 28th, 2025 [June 28th, 2025]
- Life in Iran After the Strikes: Executions, Arrests and Paranoia - WSJ - June 28th, 2025 [June 28th, 2025]
- After U.S. and Israeli Strikes, Could Iran Make a Nuclear Bomb? - The New York Times - June 28th, 2025 [June 28th, 2025]
- The stars aligned: Why Israel set out for a war against Iran, and what it achieved - The Times of Israel - June 28th, 2025 [June 28th, 2025]