DANGER WILL ROBINSON:Iran’s balance of power shifts significantly in favor of IRGC

Gertz:

WASHINGTON — The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has been positioned to take over Iran, a report said.

The Foreign Policy Research Institute asserted that IRGC was becoming the only force that could impose a leader in turbulent Iran. In a report by Amin Tarzi, the institute said IRGC support was critical to ensure the arrest of dissidents and regime opponents as well as preserve the doctrine of the Islamic republic.”The power balance has shifted,” said the report, “Iran’s Internal Dynamics.”

Tarzi, Middle East Studies director at the U.S. Marine Corps University, said IRGC’s role appeared to have expanded significantly in 2011. He cited IRGC commander Lt. Gen. Ali Jafari, who said in July that his force was acting as “commissars of Iran’s judicial branch” and has arrested those close to Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

“What this announcement suggests is that the IRGC is seeking to expand its authority within the Islamic republic regime,” the report said.

“Jafari’s public declaration that his forces are in fact acting as enforcers of the law is a potential game changer.”

IRGC has long been identified as responsible for Iran’s strategic programs, including nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles. But Tarzi said IRGC had until recently long avoided intervention in judicial affairs as the Iranian leadership was divided over succession to Ahmadinejad.

The report said Ahmadinejad, backed by Iranian supreme leader Ali Khamenei, required IRGC support to succeed in his bid to remain in power. As a result, IRGC was expected to be the broker in any decision on the next president of Iran.

“With Khamenei’s unprecedented overt support of Ahmadinejad and the subsequent public sparring between former allies,” the report said, “Khamenei and his office lost much credibility, becoming more dependent on the IRGC for safeguarding the Islamic republic regime and thus, changing the relationship between the supreme leader and the IRGC from one of leader and follower to that of interdependency for mutual survival.” 

IRGC?

Hizballah?

Nukes?

Why, they’re just like them roosians, right Dr. Paul?

 “There are 29 sensitive sites in the US and the West. We have already spied on these sites and we know how we are going to attack them… Iran’s missiles are now ready to strike Western targets, and as soon as the instructions arrive from Ali Khamenei, we will launch our missiles at their cities and installations.” - Hassan Abassi, Iran Strategic Planning 

If we can just get Dr. Paul and Khameini and Nasrallah together for dinner it will all be just fine.