What is the Role of the National Guard of Iran?

After being implemented in 1979, the National Guard of Iran has continued to grow in size and power. Maxwell Professor of Political Science Mehrzad Boroujerdi talked to The Guardian about this issue.

“Before the war the IRGC militiamen were nothing more than bodyguards to the clerics. Their performance in the war gave them a seat at the proverbial power table,” he said. Now, “The guards’ institutional capability to exert influence on foreign, domestic and security policies is beyond doubt now.”