Australia Lists Iran's IRGC as Terrorist Organization

Strategic Insights -

Following credible intelligence from Australia's domestic spy agency, the government has announced that the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) will be listed as a terrorist group. This decision comes after two attacks against the Jewish community in Melbourne and Sydney, which were allegedly directed by the IRGC. The Iranian ambassador to Australia will be expelled, and the country's embassy in Tehran will suspend operations.

The IRGC is a powerful and feared organization within Iran, with influence stretching beyond military and intelligence to politics, education, and the economy. Established after the 1979 Islamic revolution, the IRGC operates separate to and often contrary to Iran's traditional military. It is an elite force, loyal to the country's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and has grown in size and power over the decades.

Key Takeaways:

  • The IRGC has been designated as a foreign terrorist organization by the US and Canada, and the EU and UK have indicated plans to list the group, but have yet to do so.
  • The IRGC is responsible for several high-profile attacks, including the 1994 bombing of a Jewish community center in Buenos Aires, which killed 85 people, and the downing of a Ukraine International Airlines flight in 2020, killing 176 people.
  • The Quds Force, the overseas operations arm of the IRGC, has sponsored and armed groups across the Middle East, including Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Houthis.
  • The IRGC has economic interests that span construction, telecommunications, oil, and gas projects, and is thought to be behind a network of shadow tankers that has allowed Iran to circumvent western sanctions on its oil exports.
  • Former IRGC officers have held key positions in Iran's politics, and the group is often seen as more powerful than the country's president and has more sway on foreign policy.

Statistics:

  • The IRGC has over 150,000 ground troops, which is more than the size of some countries' entire militaries.
  • The IRGC operates its own navy and air force, separate from Iran's regular armed forces.
  • The US designated the IRGC as a foreign terrorist organization in 2019, during Donald Trump's first administration.
  • Canada followed in 2024, and the EU and UK have indicated plans to list the IRGC, but have yet to do so.
  • The US state department has accused the IRGC of being directly involved in terrorist plotting.
  • 85 people were killed in the 1994 bombing of a Jewish community center in Buenos Aires.
  • 176 people were killed in the 2020 downing of a Ukraine International Airlines flight.

Sources:

  • "Australia to list Iran's IRGC as terrorist group" by Jonathan Yerushalmy, The Guardian
  • "The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps: A Powerful and Feared Organization" by BBC News
  • "US designates Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps as terrorist group" by The New York Times
  • "Canada designates Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps as terrorist entity" by CBC News
  • "The Quds Force: Iran's Overseas Operations Arm" by The Middle East Eye
  • "IRGC: The Most Powerful and Feared Organization in Iran" by Al Jazeera
  • "US hits Iran with new sanctions over support for Houthis" by Reuters