By: Reza Shafa
On February 24, 1979, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) was born, the official daily Kayhan reported. However, it was not taken seriously until three months later when it was officially publicized.
In the early days following the newly born revolution, the idea was announced by Ibrahim Yazdi, vice premier in Revolutionary Affairs as a bill ratified by then Revolutionary Council, the body worked in the absence of having an executive branch in those days.
Yazdi with the help of Ayatollah Lahoti, as the representative of clerics in the Council, assumed the responsibility of forming the new force. In its preliminary statute, the IRGC’s task would include, "Maintaining order in the cities and rural areas, combating plots [against the new revolution], overcoming acts of sabotage in governmental buildings, national monuments and public places as well as embassies, preventing any infiltrations in the ranks of revolution by opportunists, implementing orders coming from Provisional Islamic Government and executing sentences handed down by the Special Islamic Revolutionary Courts." IRGC was temporarily headquartered in the old Tehran Military Governorate Building.
Following the order, a seven member board was assigned to run the new force: Mohammad Monfared, Commander; Mohammad Gharazi, Accountant; Mohammad Ali Besharati, Logistics; and Mohsen Rafighdoost, Recruitment and Personnel.
The above commanding board only lasted a few months, in May 1979; the IRGC was officially announced with a new set of commanders: Javad Mansouri, Commander; Abbas Abu-Shareif, Operations; Kolahdouz, Trainings; Mohammadzadeh, Political Officer; Mohammad Ali Besharati, Inspection and Investigation; Mohsen Rafiqost, Logistics and Foroutan, Public Relations Officer.
The IRGC’s first assignment was to put down the uprising by the ethnic Arabs in the southwestern province of Khuzestan. Coupled with the new mission, the force was ordered to suppress all of Khomeini’s critics in the country.
To be continued
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Reza Shafa is an expert on the Iranian regime’s intelligence networks, both in Iran and abroad. He has done extensive research on VAVAK (MOIS), IRGC’s Intelligence Office, and Quds Force among others. Currently he is a contributor to NCRI website.