The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) is a touchstone of Iranian domestic and foreign policy. It became an essential tool of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in his rise to power.

In doing so, the IRGC has developed extraordinary military and economic power within the Iranian state. As a result, it can influence the Assembly of Experts, the deliberative body responsible for the election of the next Supreme Leader in the event of Khamenei’s death. 

Current unrest in the Islamic Republic, as well as its increasing isolation, has created the circumstances in which the IRGC is most capable and most incentivised to utilise this influence.