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Why was the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps formed in 1979?
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Iranian Revolution
Ruhollah Khomeini (at open window) greeting supporters after returning to Tehran from exile, February 1979.
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) was established by Ruhollah Khomeini in April 1979 to unify and organize the various paramilitary forces that had emerged during the Iranian Revolution and were committed to its cause.12
A primary motivation for creating this force was to serve as a counterweight to the regular army, known as the Artesh, which had originally been loyal to the shah and was viewed with suspicion by the new revolutionary leadership. By formalizing the IRGC, the revolutionary government ensured it had a dedicated military branch to protect the revolution and consolidate the new theocratic order. The permanence of the organization was later solidified in the country's new constitution adopted later that year.23