Iran’s IRGC Doctrine
Middle East Briefing/April 10/16
The most elaborate expose of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) strategy came in Tuesday April 5 in the annual meeting of the IRGC Commanders Supreme Council in Tehran through a long speech given by General Mohamed Ali Jafari the IRGC Commander. Here the main points of General Jafari’s speech as published in the Iranian media:
* The nuclear deal:
Jafari said the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) is by no means an honorable document for the Iranian people. “Although the nuclear resistance of the Iranian nation, which forced our enemies to change strategy, was an honor, this resistance is different from its outcome, part of which was the JCPOA”, the commander noted (That implies of course that Jafari does not consider, to say the least, the JCPOA to be an honorable conclusion of what he believes to be an honorable resistance).
Jafari called for alertness against any infiltration by the sixth column of “the enemies and their mercenaries”. He asked rhetorically whether JCPOA would provide a solution for the country’s problems. “To see JCPOA a panacea and a successful solution would be naïve and imprudent; those advertising now different versions of JCPOA, primarily at home, inadvertently deviated from the true path of the revolution and tilted towards the anti-Revolutionary front”, he emphasized. “The JCPOA provides only the least part of the nation’s rights and should not and won’t be lionized as a golden chapter and a cause for exhilaration”, Jafari added.
* The ballistic missiles:
Jafari blasted US officials for their “interfering remarks against Iran’s missile program”, and stressed that Tehran will continue its past policies irrespective of Washington’s “excessive demands”. “For years now we have been increasing our power with the assumption of a massive war against the US and its allies in our minds. We have expanded all our capacities and capabilities to attain firm victory against such enemies”, Jafari said. He underscored Iran’s firm decision to continue the path of developing Iran’s missiles capacity. “Our missiles, which have become more precise and destructive, will multiply more than ever”, he added.
“Launching ballistic missiles from different locations is a crushing response to the allegations of the enemies. This has shown parts of the capabilities of IRGC missiles and the fact that they are stationed nationwide”, said the commander.
“The war game will teach the enemies that Iran’s defensive might and the country’s security is regarded as our red line and under no circumstances will be negotiable. Thanks God, the economic sanctions did not leave any impacts on the Iranian missiles as we are totally independent”, he said.
* The regional strategy:
Jafari blasted also neighboring Arab states for what he called their “stupid behavior in opting to align with the United States against Iran”.
“Regimes like Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and their peers are symbols of modern political underdevelopment, and the IRGC has made preparations for response to their rudeness and stupid behavior, which stems from their reliance on the U.S. power. We are ready to teach them a lesson but waiting for orders from our leader” he stated.
Jafari expressed confidence that Arabs would defy their governments to “seek revenge” against them for their offenses against Houthis in Yemen.
“Arab states of the Persian Gulf are vassal states of the US and the west and they are examples of the most reactionary regimes ever to rule any territory; their brazenness are fed by their reliance on the US”, Jafari emphasized.
“On Syria, we will continue our support for the Syrian government and its territorial integrity and national sovereignty; disintegration, we believe, is a US-UK-Zionist plot against which we will fight and resist; similarly, in Palestine and Yemen, we will continue support for the resistance to hold their positions”, he added.
“Protecting the regime and the revolution inside Iran is directly dependent on the regional circumstances which our men have been working hard to develop and get it to be riper. The third phase of our great revolution is progressing. And our forces are accomplishing this mission without fear or reservations. The theory of our great revolution has turned into a powerful and great force which is spreading beyond our borders to become effective regionally”, he said.
However, Jafari did not explain what he meant by “the third phase of the revolution”. From the context, it appears to be a more active plan to export the Iranian revolution to other Middle Eastern countries.
* The internal political power in Iran:
Jafari expressed in clear terms the opposition of the IRGC to Rouhani and the reformers in general. “We should not neglect the fact that the US infiltration in other countries takes always the form of westernized opposition and that the US is doing that in our case as well”, he said.
Jafari tried hard to find a proper justification for the IRGC political and economic role within the regime. “Our regime is based on institutions and laws and has a Judiciary, an elected Parliament, a government and other institutions. But all this is not enough to guarantee success. We need in the heart of our legal system a true internal structure which profoundly represents the principles and values of our revolution” Jafari added.
“IRGC commanders do not feel depressed or pessimist when they hear or see some characters claiming to be related to the revolution but attacking it. Unfortunately, in the course of our revolution, there are prominent figures who have deviated and parted away from the revolutionary line. This happened either because of misunderstandings, misconceptions or due to their weak confidence in the force of the revolution. They have been influenced by foreigners and used their positions to raise doubts about the future”. (Mostly, he had Rafsanjani in mind).
He, furthermore, addressed Rouhani by saying that his plans “wouldn’t work”. “Projects and theories that go contrary to the course of the Iranian revolution will collapse even if the government and the Parliament are established on their illusions. The Iranian people will reject them out of Iranian political map”.
“Those who consider the nuclear agreement a model to solve domestic and economic crisis are very wrong. They do not have a proper reading of this deal and its dangerous dimensions because they are shortsighted. Unfortunately, those who defend the agreement want to humiliate the Iranian people through promoting this agreement”.
This is the IRGC doctrine.
Many of those who follow Iran closely may find that Jafari’s concept about the role of the IRGC within the political system in Iran the most significant in the speech. The General was struggling to position the IRGC, as convincingly as possible, within the political structure of Iran. But he could not find any argument other than the usual revolutionary fever. It is not clear if the General was responding to others who may have the role of the IRGC contested on constitutional and legal bases. These issues are debated behind closed doors in Tehran.
Another point that sounds particularly important is the clear defiant challenge of Jafari to the reformers expressed publicly and bluntly. Jafari is raising the prospects of another crackdown on reformers before next year presidential elections in a replay of what was done to former President Khatami and his liberal supporters in the media and the universities (the “westernized” opposition” as he coined it).
Then, there are Jafari’s abundant open threats to the Arabs, who are blasted for following the US, at the same moment when they are targeted by President Obama as well in his “doctrine”. Obviously, Jafari squeezes the Arabs from one side while the US blames them from the other. They are blamed by the IRGC commander for being US allies and blamed by the US for refusing to give up to Jafari’s threats of “the third phase” of the revolution or accept Obama’s call on them to share the region with Jafari and his men. But nothing coming from Washington or the Middle East should surprise us anymore.
