Factbox-Key facts about Iran's Revolutionary Guards

(Reuters) -The Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) is at the centre of the war between Iran and Israel, leading the clerical establishment's retaliation to Israel's military campaign despite the loss of many of their top commanders in Israeli attacks since Friday.

Here are some key facts about the IRGC:

GUARDIANS OF THE REVOLUTION

The IRGC has served as an elite military force loyal to the Islamic Republic's Supreme Leader since being established after the 1979 Islamic Revolution. Its purpose is to protect the Shi'ite Muslim clerical ruling system.

Separate from Iran's regular armed forces but considered part of the Iranian state, the IRGC has its own army, navy, air force and intelligence wing. 

It answers to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. The IRGC has said it has a military around 150,000-strong, with army, navy and air units. It also commands the Basij religious militia, a volunteer paramilitary force loyal to the clerical establishment that has been used to crack down on anti-government protests.

Members of the Basij mounted “human wave” attacks against Iraqi troops during a war in the 1980s. In peacetime, they have enforced Shi'ite Iran’s Islamic social codes. 

Analysts say Basij volunteers may number in the millions, with over 1 million active members.

Former Revolutionary Guards officers have held key positions in Iran's establishment, from the government to parliament. The IRGC’s mandate to protect revolutionary values has prompted it to speak out when it felt the system was threatened.

EXPORTING IRANIAN INFLUENCE 

The IRGC has a branch known as the Quds Force responsible for overseas operations. The Quds Force built up a network of Arab allies known as the Axis of Resistance, establishing Hezbollah in Lebanon in 1982 and supporting the Palestinian militant Islamist group Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

The IRGC also deployed to support the ousted Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad in the Syrian war, and has backed Shi'ite militias in Iraq and the Houthis of Yemen. It played a part helping Iraq battle Islamic State after the ultra-hardline Sunni jihadist group seized control of much of Iraq a decade ago.

But Iran-aligned network has suffered major blows over the last two years, with Hamas' October 7 attacks on Israel resulting in Israeli offensives that have pummelled both the Palestinian group and Hezbollah. In another major setback for Iran, Assad was toppled in December.    

DESIGNATED GROUP

The United States designated the IRGC as a Foreign Terrorist Organisation in 2019, as part of Donald Trump's policy of applying maximum pressure on Iran during his first administration.

The U.S. State Department said that the IRGC had been directly involved in terrorist plotting, accusing it of killing U.S. citizens and saying Iran was responsible for the deaths of at least 603 American service members in Iraq after 2003.

It noted IRGC support for groups in the region that are also deemed terrorist organisations by the United States, including Hezbollah, Hamas, and Kataib Hezbollah in Iraq.

TOP COMMANDERS KILLED

Israel has dealt heavy blows to the IRGC command during its current campaign, killing its commander-in-chief, Major General Hossein Salami, IRGC Aerospace Force commander Amir Ali Hajizadeh, and Major General Golamali Rashid, among others.

One of the heaviest previous blows to the IRGC command came in 2020, when the United States killed Major-General Qassem Soleimani in a drone attack in Iraq. 

As commander of the Quds Force, Soleimani was widely seen as a pivotal figure in Iranian efforts to build up the Axis of Resistance.

OVERSEEING MISSILE PROGRAMME

The IRGC oversees Iran’s ballistic missile programme, regarded by experts as the largest in the Middle East. It has launched salvos of missiles at Israel during the latest conflict with Israel, as it did last year during exchanges of fire.

In recent years, the Guards have also used the missiles to strike Sunni Muslim militants in Syria and Iranian Kurdish opposition groups in northern Iraq. 

The United States, European powers and Saudi Arabia blamed Iran for a 2019 missile and drone attack that crippled the world's biggest oil processing facility in Saudi Arabia, though Iran denied involvement.

Trump pointed to Iran’s missile programme as one of the points not addressed in its 2015 nuclear deal with world powers and cited that as a reason for pulling out of the agreement in 2018.

The Guards have extensive conventional combat hardware and capabilities, which were showcased in their involvement in the conflicts in Syria and Iraq.

WHAT ABOUT BUSINESS INTERESTS?

After the 1980s war with Iraq, the IRGC became heavily involved in Iran’s reconstruction. It has since expanded its economic interests to include a vast network of businesses worth billions of dollars, ranging from construction and telecommunications to oil and gas projects.

(Writing by Michael Georgy and Tom Perry; Editing by Aidan Lewis)