Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC)

Primary force conducting crackdown

On February 14, 2026, an estimated 250,000 people marched through Munich during the Munich Security Conference, the largest protest ever held in Europe against Iran's government. The same day, 350,000 gathered in Toronto and 60,000 in Los Angeles—part of a coordinated Global Day of Action called by Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi, the exiled son of Iran's last shah, who has lived outside Iran for 47 years. Over one million people participated worldwide.

Updated 5 hours ago

Orchestrated selection of Mojtaba Khamenei as new supreme leader; continuing protest executions and war operations alongside ceasefire negotiations

The December 2025 uprising was suppressed at massive cost. HRANA's February 23 report, 'The Crimson Winter,' verified 7,007 deaths—6,488 adult protesters, 236 minors, 207 security forces, and 76 bystanders—with another 11,744 cases still under review. President Pezeshkian publicly apologized for the massacres on February 11.

Updated 3 days ago

Named by Bahrain as the sponsor of the convicted cells

A Bahraini court sentenced nine people to life on Sunday for spying for Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. Two others got three years. The verdict is the latest in a string of prosecutions Manama has pushed through since Iranian missiles and drones hit the kingdom in February.

Updated 5 days ago

Navy destroyed (120+ ships), defenses degraded (~1,000 missiles left); fast boats active; consolidates under Mojtaba Khamenei; positioned for ceasefire or escalation

Three U.S. carrier strike groups deployed: USS Abraham Lincoln (Arabian Sea since January 2026), USS Gerald R. Ford (Mediterranean), and USS George H.W. Bush. This triple-carrier presence responded to Iran's crackdown on December 2025 protests.

Updated 5 days ago

Now designated as terrorist organization by EU, US, Canada, Australia

For over two decades, the European Union resisted designating Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a terrorist organization, wary of severing diplomatic ties with Tehran. On January 29, 2026, that resistance collapsed. All 27 EU foreign ministers voted unanimously to place the IRGC on the same legal footing as al-Qaeda, Hamas, and Islamic State—a designation that triggers automatic asset freezes and travel bans across the bloc. Within hours, the United Kingdom signaled it would follow suit with separate legislation targeting hostile state agencies.

Updated 6 days ago

Targeted by new Australian sanctions; fears of US strikes reigniting unrest

Iran's 2022 uprising killed roughly 500 people over several months. The current one has killed at least 6,842 people (possibly more than 30,000) in just over five weeks; leaked documents reveal Supreme Leader Khamenei approved a premeditated crackdown blueprint months in advance.[1][2]

Updated 6 days ago

Designated as terrorist organization by EU; 214 members killed in protests

Bazaar merchants bankrolled Iran's 1979 Islamic Revolution. Now they're in the streets demanding its end.

Updated 7 days ago

Conducting ongoing strike campaign; attacked three US Navy destroyers in Strait of Hormuz on May 7; now operating under new Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei

Iranian strikes on the UAE resumed on May 4, breaking the April 8 ceasefire, then expanded into the Strait of Hormuz three days later. Iran attacked three US Navy destroyers on May 7; the US struck back the same day, hitting IRGC missile and drone facilities at Qeshm Island and Bandar Abbas.

Updated 7 days ago

Continuing crackdown operations; reports of chemical weapons use

The Islamic Republic has survived four decades of protests—but never anything like this. What began on December 28 as Tehran bazaar merchants protesting a collapsing currency became Iran's largest uprising since the 1979 revolution, with demonstrations in all 31 provinces.

Updated May 21

Designated terrorist organization by EU on January 29, placed on same list as al-Qaeda and ISIS; faces asset freezes, funding prohibition, travel bans; led massacre that killed at least 6,126; hundreds of junior officers defected; carried out at least 52 executions

Iran's nationwide uprising, triggered by December 28, 2025 bazaar marches in Tehran, was crushed in what may be the deadliest massacre in the Islamic Republic's history. An internet blackout that began January 8 was partially restored around January 17-18, though connectivity remains severely restricted. Early reports confirmed 572 deaths; after internet restoration in late January, the Human Rights Activists News Agency documented at least 6,126 deaths, with estimates ranging from 12,000 to over 36,500.

Updated May 20

Leading crackdown on protesters with live ammunition

Iran's judiciary chief announced January 14 that detained protesters face fast-track trials and executions, despite Trump's warning of "very strong action." The death toll hit at least 2,571, per Human Rights Activists News Agency — four times the count from two days earlier and more than any crackdown since 1979.

Updated May 20

Leading violent crackdown with live fire on protesters

The Iranian rial lost half its value in six months, prompting merchants—the same traders who toppled the Shah in 1979—to shut down Tehran's Grand Bazaar on December 28. Within two weeks, the strike became the largest uprising since the Islamic Revolution; credible estimates range from 500 to 3,000 dead after a five-day internet blackout, with the IRGC firing live ammunition on crowds.

Updated May 20

Controls strait passage, suspected backer of Iran crypto channels

The Strait of Hormuz has been mostly closed to commercial shipping since late February. On Sunday, Iran began selling Bitcoin-priced insurance to anyone willing to risk the crossing.

Updated May 18

Launched its largest single naval attack of the conflict on May 7 (eight cruise missiles, 24 suicide drones at three US destroyers); enforcing mandatory IRGC-designated routing through the strait; suffered loss of six boats on May 4

The Iran-US war reached its 73rd day with talks at a deadlock. Trump called Iran's May 10 response 'garbage' and declared the ceasefire on 'massive life support'; the US wants Iran to halt enrichment for 12 years and hand over 440 kilograms of enriched uranium, while Iran is demanding war reparations and full Hormuz sovereignty.

Updated May 11

Created Persian Gulf Strait Authority (PGSA) on May 5; exchanged fire with US Navy destroyers on May 7; enforcing Vessel Information Declaration requirements for all strait transits

Iran shut the Strait of Hormuz on February 28, 2026, after US-Israeli strikes, cutting off roughly a fifth of global oil supply. The US-Iran ceasefire, extended by Trump on April 21, holds formally — but Iran's May 10 counter-proposal demanded Iranian sovereignty over the strait, an end to all US sanctions, and an immediate lifting of the naval blockade. Trump called the response "totally unacceptable," and roughly 1,500 commercial vessels remain trapped inside the Persian Gulf.

Updated May 11

Facing U.S. naval blockade of Iranian ports; IRGC naval forces engaged in live-fire exchanges with U.S. destroyers in the Strait of Hormuz in early May

The April 8 ceasefire lasted less than 24 hours — Iran re-closed the Strait of Hormuz the next day. The U.S. responded with a naval blockade of Iranian ports by April 12, and oil surged to $126 per barrel by late April.

Updated May 11

Conducting expanded retaliatory strikes across Gulf including UAE; declared end to restraint on civilian infrastructure targeting

Since February 28, the US-Iran war has escalated from military and oil targets to critical water infrastructure across the Gulf, now reaching the United Arab Emirates. Key incidents include a March 8 Iranian drone strike on a Bahrain desalination plant, an April 3 attack on Kuwait power and desalination plants with the Mina al-Ahmadi oil refinery, April 5 strikes on two Kuwait power and water desalination plants plus Bahrain's Bapco oil storage, and April 7 Iranian missiles and drones targeting UAE air defenses and infrastructure. On April 7, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps declared that its prior restraint in targeting oil infrastructure and civilian sites in Gulf states 'no longer applies,' marking an explicit escalation threshold after a US strike on Iran's Kharg Island oil export hub.

Updated Apr 7

Loses intelligence chief Khademi and Quds Force operative Mir to US-Israeli strikes; retaliatory air defenses persist despite cascading leadership losses

Operation Epic Fury, launched jointly by the United States and Israel on February 28, 2026, reached day 39 with the heaviest strikes yet on Iran, confirming over 9,000 targets hit, more than 130 naval vessels destroyed, and at least 55 senior regime leaders killed—including Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei on March 1, IRGC Navy Commander Alireza Tangsiri on March 26, and on April 6, IRGC intelligence chief Majid Khademi and Quds Force Unit 840 head Yazdan Mir in US-Israeli airstrikes on Tehran. Key escalations include Iran's March 18 missile strikes on Israel and Gulf states, Qatar's expulsion of Iranian attachés after the March 19 Ras Laffan attack, the Israeli airstrike killing IRGC spokesman General Ali Mohammad Naeini on March 20, CENTCOM's March 21 update confirming 8,000 targets hit and air superiority, Iran's March 24 missile barrages on Tel Aviv, March 27 Israeli strikes on Iran's central naval arms production site and multiple ballistic missile factories in the Tehran area, Iran's April 2 launch of four missile salvos at Israel including cluster warheads, April 3's downing of a US F-15E Strike Eagle—the first American combat aircraft lost—and April 5's successful rescue of both crew members by US special operations forces after a two-day evasion and extraction operation.

Updated Apr 7

Key power broker in post-Khamenei Iran; controls Strait of Hormuz closure

Japan imports over 90% of its oil through the Strait of Hormuz. Iran shut that strait six weeks ago. Now Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi is attempting what her predecessor Shinzo Abe tried and failed to do in 2019: talk Tehran down from the brink, this time with far higher stakes and a ticking clock set by Washington.

Updated Apr 6

Conducting Operation True Promise IV missile campaign against Israel and US assets

Since the United States and Israel launched surprise airstrikes on Iran on February 28, 2026—killing Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and triggering what Washington calls Operation Epic Fury—Iran has fired more than 525 ballistic missiles at Israeli territory. Nearly half carried cluster warheads that scatter dozens of smaller bomblets across wide areas, a weapon type banned by over 100 nations. On April 6, two construction workers were killed in Yehud by cluster submunitions, while a separate ballistic missile collapsed a residential building in Haifa, killing four people after an 18-hour rescue effort.

Updated Apr 6

Conducting retaliatory strikes on US military and corporate targets across the Gulf

For decades, American tech companies built out massive data centers and office complexes across the Persian Gulf without ever treating them as potential military targets. On April 4, Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) changed that calculation by striking Oracle's headquarters building in Dubai Internet City with a drone — part of a declared campaign against 18 US firms the IRGC accuses of supporting American and Israeli military operations.

Updated Apr 5

Accused of operating under diplomatic cover in Lebanon

Iran has stationed diplomats, intelligence officers, and Revolutionary Guard operatives in Lebanon for more than four decades, building Hezbollah into the most powerful non-state military force in the Middle East. On March 24, 2026, Lebanon's foreign ministry told Iran's newly appointed ambassador-designate to leave the country within five days — the first time Beirut has ever expelled an Iranian envoy.

Updated Mar 29

Conducting retaliatory operations against US, Israeli, and allied targets

For nearly a decade, Iran insisted it had deliberately capped its ballistic missile range at 2,000 kilometers — far enough to hit Israel and American bases in the Middle East, but not Europe. On March 21, 2026, Iran fired two missiles at the joint US-UK military base on Diego Garcia, a remote Indian Ocean atoll roughly 4,000 kilometers from Iranian territory. One missile failed in flight; a United States warship intercepted the other. Neither struck the base — but the attempt itself rewrote the strategic map.

Updated Mar 22

Conducting retaliatory strikes across Gulf region

Dubai International Airport processed 95.2 million passengers in 2025 and overtook Atlanta in January 2026 as the world's busiest airport. On March 1, Iranian retaliatory missiles and drones struck its terminals, forcing a full evacuation and suspending all operations. On March 16—16 days into the conflict—a drone struck a fuel tank near the airport, reigniting flight suspensions and forcing Emirates to cancel additional flights despite partial airspace reopening. Abu Dhabi, Doha, and Kuwait airports shut down simultaneously on February 28, severing the three Gulf hubs that together route a large share of long-haul traffic between Europe, Asia, and Africa.

Updated Mar 16

Directing Iran's retaliatory campaign

For more than four decades, US embassies in the Middle East and Africa have faced bombings, sieges, and missile strikes. None has been attacked in Western Europe — until an incendiary device detonated at the entrance of the US Embassy in Oslo at 1:00 a.m. on March 8, shattering windows and sending smoke into the street. No one was injured. Norwegian police say terrorism is one hypothesis under investigation, and they are weighing whether the blast is connected to the eight-day-old US-Iran war.

Updated Mar 8

Operating independently of presidential authority during wartime

Iran's Supreme Leader controlled both the presidency and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) for over four decades. Eight days after a joint United States-Israeli airstrike killed Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, that unified chain of command has visibly fractured: President Masoud Pezeshkian announced a halt to strikes on neighboring countries and personally apologized to Gulf states for hitting their civilian infrastructure, only for the IRGC to strike a U.S. air base in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) hours later and issue a statement telling the public to 'ignore Pezeshkian's words during the war.'

Updated Mar 8

Command structure severely degraded; interim council and remaining branches facing sustained US-Israeli strikes that have reportedly destroyed much of Iran’s missile arsenal and portions of its navy while Tehran continues regional retaliation.

Ali Khamenei ruled Iran as supreme leader for 36 years until joint US-Israeli strikes on February 28, 2026, killed him along with family members and multiple top military and intelligence officials at his Tehran compound, triggering an opaque succession process under fire. With the Assembly of Experts’ Qom site damaged in Israeli strikes and its deliberations driven underground, acting leader Ali Larijani faces a power vacuum in which the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ interim command council is trying to preserve operational control while missiles and drones continue to fly across the region.

Updated Mar 7

Senior leadership decimated; naval assets targeted in Indian Ocean

For four decades, the United States and Iran avoided direct, large-scale war. That changed on February 28, 2026, when the US and Israel launched coordinated strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities, military infrastructure, and leadership compounds, killing Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. The assault followed collapsed indirect nuclear talks mediated by Oman. Iran retaliated with missile and drone attacks on US bases in the Gulf, oil tankers in the Strait of Hormuz, and the US Embassy in Riyadh.

Updated Mar 4