Political solders at the regimes disposal intended to be special purpose troops for such duties as putting down counterrevolutions and strikes, conduct purges, and quell riots.
Persia's army within an army - the Revo Guards al Quds Force has an especial charge
"The Iranian regime uses the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-Qods Force (IRGC-QF) to clandestinely exert military, political, and economic power to advance Iranian national interests abroad. IRGC-QF global activities include: gathering tactical intelligence; conducting covert diplomacy; providing training, arms and financial support to surrogate groups and terrorist organizations; and facilitating some of Iran's provision of humanitarian and economic support to Islamic causes."
GsGf's Pasdaran Expert shares that
To doubt the Iranian regime's responsibility in the thwarted attack is to misunderstand its nature, or to somehow fall prey to the delusion that when an Iranian connection appears behind a terror plot, its perpetrators have gone rogue or are acting on behalf of some dark faction to undermine a nonexistent "moderate" camp within the regime. Of course, the Qods Force is rogue, but no more so than the regime that directs its actions. Moreover, all members of the Iranian government are fundamentalists. The differences between them are tactical, and the only question about the thwarted plot in Washington is why the regime chose to escalate matters now—not whether the regime was behind it.
Though details of the plot are still scarce, parallels with previous regime-sanctioned murders are emerging. As in the past, Tehran appears to have drafted Iranians living in the destination country, using as leverage their family connections or friendships forged during the Iran-Iraq war, the early years of the Islamic Revolution or service in the Pasdaran. The Qods Force supplies help, training, logistics and financing. And the orders come from the center of the regime itself.
Iranian agents couldn't have carried out such an operation unless core members of Iran's leadership, likely including Khamenei himself, had given them their blessing. Every member of the Pasdaran is bound by oath to the Supreme Leader. That oath is not limited to personal loyalty. Rather, it is a solemn commitment to uphold the foundational religious doctrine of the Islamic Republic, according to which the Supreme Leader is God's shadow on earth and the final interpreter of Islamic justice. When the Qods Force carries out operations like the U.S. government reported this week, it is to fulfill its duties under that oath, not to violate it.
We will learn more of this story in the days and weeks ahead. But one thing should be clear already: Responsibility lies at the doorsteps of Iran's regime and its leaders. They should be made to pay a heavy price for their murderous intent.
Pic - "Sepah-e Pasdaran-e Enqelab-e Eslami"
3 comments:
Interesting as always, Courtney. Your last post on this is the only commentary I've seen to put forth credible theories as to why Iran would do this, but I'm still unsold on the idea that the Mullah's would see a tactical or strategic advantage to such a provocative act. It's one thing to harass dissidents, quite another to attack the House of Saud's most important envoy. So, I more or less buy that some in Iran *would* do this, but I still don't think anyone high-up would sanction such a hair-brained, high-risk/low-return scheme.
The al-Qods Force has its mission statement inherent in its name. Qods being the Arabic name for Jerusalem, it's the same statement the IRA would have made if they'd activated a "29 Other Counties Battalion."
Naming it for Jerusalem, the "furthest mosque" which is in Jewish hands and has Sunnis in between it and them, means to me it was a force intended to expand its inkblot of control on the map.
The mullahs are preparing for the 12th Imam. They are not interested in peace. They want chaos.
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