June 19, 2013
The week's top five must-sees,
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The week's top five must-sees,
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Description
The Army of the Guardians of the Islamic Revolution, often called Revolutionary Guards, is a branch of Iran's military, founded after the Iranian revolution. Whereas the regular military defends Iran's borders and maintains internal order, according to the Iranian constitution, the Revolutionary Guard is intended to protect the country's Islamic system. According to some outside observers, it is intended to prevent internal dissident and military uprisings.
The IRGC has roughly 125,000 military personnel including ground, aerospace and naval forces. Its naval forces are now the primary forces tasked with operational control of the Persian Gulf. It also controls the paramilitary Basij militia which has about 90,000 active personnel, and in recent years has developed into a "multibillion-dollar business empire," and is reportedly the "third-wealthiest organization in Iran" after the National Iranian Oil Company and the Imam Reza Endowment.
Since its origin as an ideologically driven militia, the Army of the Guardians of the Islamic Revolution has taken an ever more assertive role in virtually every aspect of Iranian society. Its expanded social, political, military, and economic role under President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's administration – especially during the 2009 presidential election and post-election suppression of protest — has led many analysts to argue that its political power has surpassed even that of the Shiite clerical system.
(via Freebase)
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![Iranian military: Drone incursion 'exposes weaknesses' of Israeli air defenses [IBA, Israel]](/images/image_cache/base-11855000/11855643/thumbnail.width=304,height=171,grow=1,crop=center.jpg?sig=b882e1a88fae1027104fee3a82482d63)
![Syria tests firing systems for chemical weapons [IBA, Israel]](/images/image_cache/base-10657000/10657282/thumbnail.width=304,height=171,grow=1,crop=center.jpg?sig=86331c781cfdf5f3a1e46cdc5f3b9866)
![Trial of accused Iran spies continues in Azerbaijan [IBA, Israel]](/images/image_cache/base-9965000/9965379/thumbnail.width=304,height=171,grow=1,crop=center.jpg?sig=e99bb2574083b259e983d16f6ef73d27)
![Hezbollah simulates capture of Israeli cities in massive military exercise [IBA, Israel]](/images/image_cache/base-9182000/9182626/thumbnail.width=304,height=171,grow=1,crop=center.jpg?sig=4e6e76c836d826cebb79b373571682c6)
![Iran tests long-range ballistic missiles in response to growing Western threats [Al Jazeera, Qatar]](/images/image_cache/base-6654000/6654924/thumbnail.width=304,height=171,grow=1,crop=center.jpg?sig=8f95455a47fe49bb87fc157ac47181d9 "A military truck carrying a Shahab-3 missile drives by during a military parade commemorating the anniversary of the start of the 1980-1988 Iran-Iraq war, in Tehran September 21, 2008: REUTERS/Morteza Nikoubazl")
![Israeli military assesses possible consequences for attacking Iran [IBA, Israel]](/images/image_cache/base-2673000/2673084/thumbnail.width=304,height=171,grow=1,crop=center.jpg?sig=308e56483619346aa8b0e82d47d1dc00)
![WikiLeaks: Israel destroyed Iran's nuclear facilities last year [IBA, Israel]](/images/image_cache/base-1209000/1209286/thumbnail.width=304,height=171,grow=1,crop=center.jpg?sig=ae97c822280fe7f6b64ffa3ab0704ad4)
![Obama calls for diplomatic solution with Iran [Al-Alam, Iran]](/images/image_cache/base-486000/486831/thumbnail.width=304,height=171,grow=1,crop=center.jpg?sig=1c843e7d394d4111732f2d187ff79726 "Members of the Iranian army's air force re-enact the scene of founder of the Islamic Republic Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini's arrival to Iran in 1979 at Merhrabad airport, in Tehran February 1, 2012: REUTERS/Handout")