Die militärische Elite des Iran entsteht aus dem Krieg verletzt und ermutigt

*From Bloomberg News reporter Golnar Motevalli:*

Iran’s direct military confrontation with Israel over 12 days in June was the most damaging in the IRGC’s history, [killing most of its top echelon](https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-06-13/israel-strikes-kill-iran-supreme-leader-khamenei-s-top-generals) and forcing a restructuring of Iran’s strategic decision making. And yet the bombing has left the group more critical to the survival of the Islamic Republic than ever before, according to observers.

The Guard comprises a navy, ground troops, aerospace, an elite unit called the Quds Force and the Basij volunteer paramilitaries. It also has its own intelligence organization that’s known to directly compete with — and sometimes work against — the government’s Ministry of Intelligence.

Few organizations in the world have drawn as much fascination and condemnation from the West as the IRGC. Its so-called Axis of Resistance abroad includes proxies in Syria, Hezbollah in Lebanon and Hamas in Gaza — all of which have now been critically [depleted by Israeli forces](https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-06-22/iran-stands-alone-against-trump-and-israel-stripped-of-allies).

The IRGC’s security forces, the Basij and its intelligence agencies have been condemned by rights groups, foreign governments and families of dead protesters, accused of torture and unlawful killing. Economically, the IRGC’s reach is so broad that it’s targeted successful businesses for takeover.

But it’s seen by others as the great defender against the US and Israel, directly fighting America’s economic and military grip on the region and the only thing that stands in the way of an invasion.