Iran’s regime plans to give power, profits to terrorism-linked group, documents reveal – Fox News
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps of Iran (IRGC) stands to take control of Irans economy by gaining full power over the "economic arteries" of the country, according to an anti-regime group.
"The documents unveiled by the MEK unequivocally demonstrate that regime Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei has granted the IRGC complete authority over Iran's economy," Alireza Jafarzadeh, deputy director of the Washington office of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), told Fox News Digital.
"This unprecedented move enables the IRGC to not only bypass international sanctions but also amass the requisite resources to carry out domestic oppression, destabilize the region, perpetrate acts of terrorism, cyberwarfare, and expedite the advancement of its missile, drone and nuclear weapons programs," he added.
A group affiliated with the MEK recently obtained a trove of data and defaced the Iranian Foreign Ministrys website, leaking the names of more than 11,000 ministry employees, ministry correspondences and identification documents. The MEK and NCRI are also credited with revealing in 2002 that Iran was developing nuclear weapons capabilities.
US OFFICIALS ATTEND EVENT WHOSE GUEST LIST INCLUDES KNOWN TERRORIST RESPONSIBLE FOR MURDER OF US TROOPS
Iranian troops march during a parade to commemorate the anniversary of the Iran-Iraq war. (Reuters / File)
The Mujahedeen-e-Khalq, or MEK, is an active branch of the NCRI that has received strong support from prominent U.S. figures, including former National Security Advisor John Bolton and former Vice President Mike Pence who each met with the group and spoke with members in their Albania base of operation.
MEK provided Fox News Digital with documents, translated, that purportedly passed between high-ranking Iranian officials, including IRGC commanders. The documents include orders and decisions over economic policy, with IRGC command included and military command issuing some of the decisions.
The U.S. government on April 15, 2019, designated the IRGC as a terrorist organization, a designation the Biden administration has not indicated it has any intention of changing.
IDF RELEASES VIDEO OF AIRSTRIKES THAT KILLED ISLAMIC JIHAD SENIOR MEMBERS
Some of the "economic arteries" of which the IRGC will take control include oil field, refinery, petrochemicals, steel and mines. The group will also gain control of scientific research and development including atomic development.
"It is now more crucial than ever for the European Union and the United States to abandon any aspirations of forging an agreement with Iran's ruling theocracy," Jafarzadeh said. "Engaging in commerce with the Iranian regime is tantamount to endorsing and empowering the IRGC in its nefarious activities."
"Instead, the international community should take decisive action to support the Iranian people in their unwavering pursuit of toppling the oppressive regime of the mullahs," he urged.
The IRGC, by controlling these apparatuses, will be able to directly profit from their industry, which could help them bypass the many sanctions placed on them by different countries.
DOZENS OF TOP US DIPLOMATS URGE BIDEN TO CEASE ALL DIPLOMACY WITH IRAN
IRGC Quds chief Esmail Qaani (Morteza Nikoubazl / NurPhoto via Getty Images / File)
The group now operates through the Resistance Economy Headquarters of the Defense Ministry. In a letter dated Jan. 10, 2023, IRGC Brigadier Gen. Ishaghi oversaw a meeting that concluded with the requirement that oil and petrochemical groups submit documents, including names of complexes, challenges the groups face and all planning and resources required, which Ishaghi would review.
A letter dated from Nov. 29, 2022, discussed involving a number of institutions and companies "from the branches of the armed forces" in projects in Uzbekistan, including tractor manufacturing and the Shastan Holding Co., which is Irans largest investment company and operates nine subsidiaries in a wide range of sectors across construction, finance and energy.
All groups in the November letter were ordered to support the armed forces and IRGC, including in the building of cement factories, thermal power plants and exploring mining opportunities.
IRAN HANGS TWO ON BLASPHEMY CHARGES AS EXECUTIONS CONTINUE TO SPIKE
Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, right, speaks while standing next to commander in chief of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Hossein Salami, left, and Mohammad Bagheri, chief of staff for the Iranian armed forces, during a military parade marking Iran's Army Day anniversary in Tehran on April 18, 2023. (Morteza Nikoubazl / NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Behnam Ben Taleblu, a senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies with a focus on Iranian security and political issues, told Fox News Digital that the IRGCs role and influence over much of Irans current structures of power remains "an open secret in Washington and Iran" and that many analysts globally understand the IRGC "is the most important economic player."
"Basically, the IRGC is really one of the most powerful, if not the most powerful, entities inside the government of the Islamic Republic, and it's really an upward trajectory for their political, economic fortunes inside Iran after the Iran-Iraq War," Taleblu explained, saying that a revelation of their influence over the countrys economy "could have come in 2008, and you could believe it."
Taleblu said the IRGC"was, is and is likely to remain," absent any "wholesale change in Iran," the most important, economic force in the country. "Massive holdings acquired under a false privatization drive," he added, explaining the economic consolidation the group has already achieved.
Members of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard listen to a speech in the Iranian parliament in Tehran, October 2018. (Atta Kenare / AFP via Getty Images / File)
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
Taleblu suggested that the U.S. has enough sanction targets left in Iran to continue blunting the IRGC and regimes actions, and that such sanctions going forward will only grow in importance as the IRGC gains more influence in the country.
"The lack of enforcement against critical factors that either underwrite the IRGC activities or that directly support the IRGC activities or are directly under control by IRGC persons, means that Washington is currently doing a poor job of keeping up with this," he said.
Questions to the U.S. State Department and Iranian mission to the U.N. were not returned as of press time.
Fox News Digital's Michael Lee contributed to this report.
Read the original here:
Iran's regime plans to give power, profits to terrorism-linked group, documents reveal - Fox News
- The violence in Iran could lead to civil war - The Economist - February 2nd, 2026 [February 2nd, 2026]
- U.S. and Iran plan talks in Istanbul, as Trump warns of bad things - The Washington Post - February 2nd, 2026 [February 2nd, 2026]
- Trump says talks with Iran ongoing - Reuters - February 2nd, 2026 [February 2nd, 2026]
- Trump pairs deal talk with war threats ahead of Iran negotiations - - February 2nd, 2026 [February 2nd, 2026]
- As US and Iran set for talks, Trump warns bad things will happen if no deal reached - The Times of Israel - February 2nd, 2026 [February 2nd, 2026]
- U.S. and Iran may hold talks in Istanbul on Friday as Trump weighs military action - NBC News - February 2nd, 2026 [February 2nd, 2026]
- Iran summons EU ambassadors to protest Revolutionary Guard being listed as a terror group - ABC News - February 2nd, 2026 [February 2nd, 2026]
- Oscar-Nominated Screenwriter Arrested in Iran for Criticizing Regime - The New York Times - February 2nd, 2026 [February 2nd, 2026]
- U.S. and Iran expected to hold nuclear talks on Friday, sources say - NBC News - February 2nd, 2026 [February 2nd, 2026]
- Iran rebuilds nuclear sites as US weighs strike - The Jerusalem Post - February 2nd, 2026 [February 2nd, 2026]
- Trump says big ships are heading to Iran right now in new threat - latest - The Independent - February 2nd, 2026 [February 2nd, 2026]
- Co-writer of Oscar-nominated film It Was Just an Accident arrested in Iran - The Guardian - February 2nd, 2026 [February 2nd, 2026]
- Ahead of Friday nuclear talks with Iran, Witkoff heading to Israel to meet PM, Zamir - The Times of Israel - February 2nd, 2026 [February 2nd, 2026]
- Israel to push for US to demand that Iran give up nuclear program, missiles, proxies report - The Times of Israel - February 2nd, 2026 [February 2nd, 2026]
- Iran has repeatedly proved itself untrustworthy in negotiations: Brit Hume - Fox News - February 2nd, 2026 [February 2nd, 2026]
- U.S. tells Iran it is ready to meet and negotiate a deal - Axios - February 2nd, 2026 [February 2nd, 2026]
- Voices from inside Iran : State of the World from NPR - NPR - February 2nd, 2026 [February 2nd, 2026]
- US, Iran signal talks to avert military conflict amid tensions in the Gulf - Al Jazeera - February 2nd, 2026 [February 2nd, 2026]
- Trump weighs diplomacy with Iran amid rising tensions - Fox News - February 2nd, 2026 [February 2nd, 2026]
- Alarm grows over detention of doctors who treated Iran protesters - - February 2nd, 2026 [February 2nd, 2026]
- Interview with the Director of Iranian Studies: How the West Gets Iran Wrong - The Stanford Review - February 2nd, 2026 [February 2nd, 2026]
- Talks Are Iran's Last Chance to Avoid Confrontation With Trump but Wide Gaps Remain - Haaretz - February 2nd, 2026 [February 2nd, 2026]
- Iran's foreign minister says Tehran ready to resume nuclear talks with U.S. - Axios - February 2nd, 2026 [February 2nd, 2026]
- Iran heads for make or break this week over averting war with US - Sky News - February 2nd, 2026 [February 2nd, 2026]
- US, Iran ready to talk, with mediators organizing meeting in Ankara report - The Times of Israel - February 2nd, 2026 [February 2nd, 2026]
- Iran and U.S. to hold nuclear talks on Friday as Trump warns Tehran - The Japan Times - February 2nd, 2026 [February 2nd, 2026]
- Trump tells Iran to drop nuclear aims and stop killing protesters to avoid military action - BBC - February 2nd, 2026 [February 2nd, 2026]
- Iran orders talks with US as Trump warns of 'bad things' if no deal reached - The Mountaineer - February 2nd, 2026 [February 2nd, 2026]
- The War Room newsletter: Three ways Donald Trump could strike Iran - The Economist - January 26th, 2026 [January 26th, 2026]
- Aircraft carrier reaches Middle East, bolstering Iran options for Trump - The Washington Post - January 26th, 2026 [January 26th, 2026]
- Iran Protest Death Toll Could Top 30,000, According to Local Health Officials - Time Magazine - January 26th, 2026 [January 26th, 2026]
- Iran offline: How a government can turn off the internet : Short Wave - NPR - January 26th, 2026 [January 26th, 2026]
- Lebanon's Hezbollah chief says group concerned with confronting US threat against Iran - Reuters - January 26th, 2026 [January 26th, 2026]
- New Iran videos show bodies piled in hospital and snipers on roofs - BBC - January 26th, 2026 [January 26th, 2026]
- US Official says Washington is open for business if Iran wishes to contact them - Reuters - January 26th, 2026 [January 26th, 2026]
- Trump warned off Iran strikes in 'you will reap the whirlwind' threat - Sky News - January 26th, 2026 [January 26th, 2026]
- Airlines Are Suspending Flights to Dubai, Iran, and IsraelHere's What to Know - Cond Nast Traveler - January 26th, 2026 [January 26th, 2026]
- Pools of blood, hundreds of gunshots: I am a surgeon in Iran - this is the horror Ive witnessed in the crackdown - The Guardian - January 26th, 2026 [January 26th, 2026]
- US Aircraft Carrier Arrives in the Middle East as Tensions With Iran Remain High - Military.com - January 26th, 2026 [January 26th, 2026]
- Italy pushes for EU clampdown on Iran's Revolutionary Guard over 'heinous acts - Reuters - January 26th, 2026 [January 26th, 2026]
- After mass killings, bodies of Iran's slain leveraged to quash dissent - - January 26th, 2026 [January 26th, 2026]
- Iran tensions: US aircraft carrier, warships arrive in Middle East - Times of India - January 26th, 2026 [January 26th, 2026]
- Italy urges EU to list Iran's Revolutionary Guards as terror group - Euronews.com - January 26th, 2026 [January 26th, 2026]
- USS Abraham Lincoln returns to the Middle East amid rising tensions with Iran - Task & Purpose - January 26th, 2026 [January 26th, 2026]
- US warships arrive in Middle East amid fears Trump will finally order Iran strike - The Independent - January 26th, 2026 [January 26th, 2026]
- Trump: Iran wants to talk, situation in flux after US sent big armada to Mideast - timesofisrael.com - January 26th, 2026 [January 26th, 2026]
- US Official Says Washington Is Open for Business if Iran Wishes to Contact Them - U.S. News & World Report - January 26th, 2026 [January 26th, 2026]
- Scale of Iran's nationwide protests and bloody crackdown come into focus even as internet is out - ABC News - January 24th, 2026 [January 24th, 2026]
- Iran's Ayatollah Khamenei moves to underground bunker amid fears of US strike - report - jpost.com - January 24th, 2026 [January 24th, 2026]
- Iran-US tensions LIVE: Trump gets new trigger ready threat from Tehran, India gets a thank you note - Hindustan Times - January 24th, 2026 [January 24th, 2026]
- 'A moment like no other': US-based think tank urges Trump to sap Iran - - January 24th, 2026 [January 24th, 2026]
- Scale of Iran's nationwide protests and bloody crackdown come into focus even as internet is out - AP News - January 24th, 2026 [January 24th, 2026]
- Iran offers first government-issued death toll from protest crackdown, one far lower than activists - AP News - January 24th, 2026 [January 24th, 2026]
- An exiled crown prince says he can lead Iran to democracy, but Trump hasn't endorsed him - NBC News - January 24th, 2026 [January 24th, 2026]
- Iran Warns Middle East Will Collapse If Government Falls Amid US Threats - Newsweek - January 24th, 2026 [January 24th, 2026]
- As Iran Grieves, Accounts Emerge of Disrespectful Treatment of Protest Victims - The New York Times - January 24th, 2026 [January 24th, 2026]
- Iran is not a major oil producer, but it still moves prices. Here's why - CNBC - January 24th, 2026 [January 24th, 2026]
- Trump sends 'massive' armada to Middle East in warning to Iran - Fox News - January 24th, 2026 [January 24th, 2026]
- Trump warns U.S. 'armada' heading to Iran; death toll in protest crackdown tops 5,000, activists say - NBC News - January 24th, 2026 [January 24th, 2026]
- Iran adopts military posture against free flow of information, report says - - January 24th, 2026 [January 24th, 2026]
- Turkey's FM says Israel still seeking chance to attack Iran - jpost.com - January 24th, 2026 [January 24th, 2026]
- The night Iran went dark: Witness accounts and video reveal violence inflicted during Irans internet blackout - CNN - January 24th, 2026 [January 24th, 2026]
- Trump Says U.S. Armada Is Heading to Iran, Raising Pressure on Regime - The New York Times - January 24th, 2026 [January 24th, 2026]
- Iran's Revolutionary Guard commander warns the US, says his force has its 'finger on the trigger' - The Independent - January 24th, 2026 [January 24th, 2026]
- Trump says US still watching Iran as massive fleet heads to Gulf region - Al Jazeera - January 24th, 2026 [January 24th, 2026]
- European air carriers scuttle Middle East service in face of US-Iran tensions - Anadolu Ajans - January 24th, 2026 [January 24th, 2026]
- Iran warns it will regard any attack as all-out war after Trump moves armada to Middle East - The Independent - January 24th, 2026 [January 24th, 2026]
- Why Qatar is betting on diplomacy with Iran - Al Jazeera - January 24th, 2026 [January 24th, 2026]
- Trump threatens Iran with crushing response as Tehran denies halting protest executions - Fox News - January 24th, 2026 [January 24th, 2026]
- US carrier strike group not within striking distance of Iran yet - Fox News - - January 24th, 2026 [January 24th, 2026]
- Inside Trumps Iran warning and the unexpected pause that followed - Fox News - January 24th, 2026 [January 24th, 2026]
- Iran's top prosecutor criticizes Trump's announcement that 800+ executions were halted: 'Completely false' - Fox News - January 24th, 2026 [January 24th, 2026]
- I am in Iran watching the protests and desperate for change. But I dont believe the regime will fall | Anonymous - The Guardian - January 24th, 2026 [January 24th, 2026]
- Western media is silent on Iran, and ignores democracy - jpost.com - January 24th, 2026 [January 24th, 2026]
- IRGC leader warns Iran has 'finger on the trigger' as it awaits US 'armada': 'More ready than ever' - New York Post - January 24th, 2026 [January 24th, 2026]
- Trump says all meetings with Iran are off until crackdown on protesters ends - CNN - January 14th, 2026 [January 14th, 2026]
- At least 2,571 killed in Iran's protests, Trump says 'help is on the way' - Reuters - January 14th, 2026 [January 14th, 2026]
- Heres What to Know About the Protests in Iran - The New York Times - January 14th, 2026 [January 14th, 2026]
- More than 2,000 people reported killed at Iran protests as Trump says 'help is on its way' - BBC - January 14th, 2026 [January 14th, 2026]
- Column | Could Iran go the way of Venezuela? - The Washington Post - January 14th, 2026 [January 14th, 2026]