Iranian commander says IRGC economic activities legitimate

Commander Mohammadreza Yazdi, deputy of the Revolutionary Guards' legal affairs, said the economic activities of the Guards are carried out according to the Supreme Leader's orders and there are no ambiguities in them.

Supreme Leader Khamenei with IRGC Commanders whom are appointed by him (file photo)

In an interview with Khabbar-on-line, Yazdi said the Guards' financial management and investments are the result of a plan of action that was put in place by Ayatollah Khamenei.

Yazdi insisted that the entire organization is completely transparent.

"So far no supervisory board nor even the opposition has requested an inspection of the economic activities of the Revolutionary Guards," Yazdi maintained. However, he admitted that some "enemies as well as friends" have questioned the Guards' finances. Since the end of the Iran-Iraq War, the Revolutionary Guards have engaged in a series of economic ventures. While the Guards do not publish reports of their investments, analysts say they are the most powerful economic arm of the country and their investments have now reached well beyond Iran.

In recent years, the Revolutionary Guards have gained wider influence in the legislative and executive branches of the government,. A number of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's cabinet ministers are from the Revolutionary Guards. Some Iranian MPs are also former Guards commanders.

Related Articles:

1388- Year of Militarization of Iran's Economy
March 20, 2010 was the last day of the Iranian calendar year 1388. That year began well, with a surplus of some items such as potatoes which was distributed free by the government.  But the distribution was limited to the election season and as the year grew to its end, the distribution ended too.  Interestingly enough, at the end of the year the administration pushed a bill through the Majlis to provide the public with water, electricity, power, gasoline and natural gas at market prices without the traditional subsides.  Meanwhile, the Iranian economy suffered from severe stagnation and unemployment in 1388 as the country's important and money-making firms were handed over to the Islamic Passdaran Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC).

The financial power of the Revolutionary Guards
The extent of the Revolutionary Guards' control over the Iranian economy is ­apparent as soon as you enter the country. They run the main international airport, and the manner in which they acquired it was a bruising demonstration of the way big business is now done in Iran.-Guardian

U.S. Treasury Targets Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps
The U.S. Department of the Treasury today took further action to implement existing U.S. sanctions against Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) by designating an individual and four companies affiliated with the IRGC pursuant to Executive Order (E.O.) 13382, which freezes the assets of designated proliferators of weapons of mass destruction (WMD) and their supporters.

Iranian Banks Under Military Control
"Ansar Bank Serving Citizens" is a slogan that is repeatedly broadcast on the national Islamic Republic television these days. Ansar was a financial institution that became a private bank after it obtained a permit from Iran's Central Bank; the same permit obtained by the "Mehr Iranian Organization" and "Ghavamin Charity Fund." These institutions all belong to the Islamic Republic's military establishment. Ansar and Mehr Iranian were founded by the Islamic Passdaran Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), and Ghavamin belongs to the Iranian police.

Iran: Former and Current Revolutionary Guards Commanders Clash
Several months after Iran's state telecommunications corporation was taken over by companies affiliated with the Islamic Passdaran Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) in a sham deal, one (pro- administration) principalist Majlis lawmaker hinted that the corporation may be returned to the government. Eliyas Naderan, a lawmaker representing Tehran, who is a former member of the IRGC, told Alef news website that several eighth Majlis lawmakers are working on a plan for the return of the corporation to the government.

... Payvand News - 03/25/16 ... --