All articles tagged with #islamic revolutionary guard corps
Iranian protesters say Donald Trump’s Iran deal was not a victory but a major defeat: the Islamic Republic remains intact, the IRGC’s influence endures, sanctions relief and a multibillion-dollar reconstruction fund are seen as lifelines for the regime rather than help for ordinary people, and Trump’s threats gave way to a deal that many Iranians view as preserving the regime while failing to deliver true change.
Following the death of Ayatollah Khamenei, Mojtaba Khamenei is poised to become supreme leader, while the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps consolidates power, replacing wounded or killed figures and expanding its influence across security, politics and the economy. President Masoud Pezeshkian manages day-to-day governance, but real authority over military and diplomacy remains with the guards and hardline circles. The ongoing US‑Israel war has pushed Iran toward a more hawkish posture at home and abroad, complicating any diplomacy over the nuclear deal.
Mojtaba Khamenei, the son of Iran’s late Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has surfaced as the leading candidate to replace his father as Iran’s supreme leader, with the Assembly of Experts considering successors and regime loyalists promoting him online after clerical discussions; while some analysts see potential for reform, concerns about dynastic politics persist, and other contenders remain in the running amid a volatile regional conflict.
An Iranian operative, Farhad Shakeri, has been charged in a plot to assassinate President-elect Donald Trump and other U.S. targets, allegedly orchestrated by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). Shakeri, believed to be in Iran, was tasked with recruiting U.S.-based individuals for surveillance and potential attacks on dissidents and government figures. Two U.S. residents, Carlisle Rivera and Jonathon Loadholt, were charged for their involvement in surveilling an Iranian American activist. The plot against Trump was part of broader IRGC efforts to target U.S. figures following the 2020 killing of IRGC General Qasem Soleimani.
The U.S. Department of Justice has charged an Iranian man, Farhad Shakeri, and two New Yorkers, Carlisle Rivera and Jonathan Loadholt, in a murder-for-hire plot targeting Donald Trump and an American journalist critical of Iran. The plot, allegedly directed by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, aimed to retaliate for the killing of Iranian military leader Qasem Soleimani. The defendants face charges including murder-for-hire and conspiracy, with potential sentences of up to 60 years. The case highlights ongoing tensions between the U.S. and Iran over national security threats.
US prosecutors have accused Iran of hiring Farhad Shakeri, an asset of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, to plot the assassination of president-elect Donald Trump. Shakeri, who remains at large in Iran, was charged with murder-for-hire alongside two New York-based co-conspirators. The plot was part of broader threats against US citizens and leaders, prompting increased security measures. The charges highlight Iran's ongoing attempts to target US interests, according to US officials.
Three individuals have been charged in a plot linked to Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) to assassinate President-elect Donald Trump as revenge for the 2020 killing of Qassem Soleimani. Two suspects, Carlisle Rivera and Jonathan Loadholt, are in custody, while the third, Farhad Shakeri, is believed to be in Tehran. The plot also targeted an Iranian-American activist and two Jewish Americans in New York. The U.S. Department of Justice has emphasized the ongoing threat posed by Iran to U.S. national security.
The United States has unveiled charges and seizures related to a billion-dollar oil trafficking network allegedly financing Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and other militant groups, in response to aggressive actions by Iran. The US Department of Justice seized over $108 million laundered by a Chinese company and more than 520,000 barrels of Iranian oil aboard a tanker. Seven defendants, including a Turkish national and the son of a former IRGC commander, were charged in connection with the seized money. Additionally, a Chinese woman and an Omani man were charged with Iran sanctions evasion and money laundering related to the trafficking and selling of Iranian oil to Chinese government-owned refineries. Despite US sanctions, Iran's crude exports and oil output reached new highs in 2023, with Iranian oil making up about 10% of China's crude imports.
Iran's recent missile attacks revealed the Khaibar-Shekan ballistic missile, capable of reaching Israel, marking a significant addition to the country's long-range arsenal and potentially altering the regional military dynamics.
Two individuals, an Iranian national and a co-defendant based in China and Hong Kong, have been charged with illegally procuring American technology for Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps' drone program. The defendants allegedly used a network of foreign companies to evade detection and shipped the technology from the US to Hong Kong before reexporting it to Iran. The case was primarily investigated by Homeland Security Investigations, and officials have seized over $800,000 from companies linked to the IRGC's aircraft program. The defendants face charges of conspiracy to export US goods to Iran, unlawfully exporting goods to Iran, and engaging in international money laundering.
The U.S. military conducted precision strikes on facilities in eastern Syria used by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and Iran-affiliated groups in response to ongoing attacks against U.S. personnel in Iraq and Syria. The strikes targeted a training facility and a safe house near Abu Kamal and Mayadin, respectively, as a demonstration of the United States' commitment to defending its personnel and interests.
A gunman entered the Shah Cheragh shrine in Shiraz, Iran, and opened fire, killing one person and injuring several others. This is the second deadly attack on the shrine in less than a year. The assailant was arrested at the scene and was found to be carrying an assault rifle and multiple magazines of ammunition. The shrine, one of the most important in Shia Islam, was previously targeted in October 2022, resulting in the deaths of 13 people. The ISIL armed group claimed responsibility for both attacks. Iranian authorities have executed individuals linked to the previous attack and have blamed foreign-backed riots for creating an environment conducive to such incidents.
Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) confirmed that its naval forces seized a tanker smuggling fuel in the Persian Gulf last week. The US military responded by dispatching aircraft and patrol ships to the area, but ultimately decided not to take further action. Tanker seizures by Iran have increased recently as the Biden administration seeks to enforce sanctions on Iranian oil and gas exports. The IRGC's seizure of the Nada 2 does not appear to be related to the US dispute over sanctions. The US Navy has expressed concern over Iran's actions and remains vigilant in protecting maritime traffic in the region.
The US has imposed sanctions on officials from Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) accused of plotting assassinations abroad, including against former national security adviser John Bolton and former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. The sanctions target Mohammad Reza Ansari, an official with a unit of the IRGC-Qods Force, and a dual Iranian and Turkish national, Hossein Hafez Amini, who uses his connections in the aviation industry to assist the IRGC-QF's covert operations. The sanctions also hit two IRGC Intelligence Organization senior officials – Rouhallah Bazghandi and Reza Seraj.
Iran's security chief, Ali Shamkhani, has left his post after almost a decade, and has been replaced by Ali Akbar Ahmadian, a senior commander in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). Shamkhani had been instrumental in shaping Iran's security policies in the past decade, including successfully completing a detente with Saudi Arabia. No official reason has been given for his departure, but it may indicate the country is heading in an ever-more conservative direction as Shamkhani was regarded as relatively pragmatic.