The IRGC Basij Forces – the “Volunteers” Responsible For Internal Security and the Suppression of Opposition to the Regime.

The Basij forces of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) serve as a key litmus test for the stability of the Iranian regime. Their operational capacity reflects the regime’s own functionality and resilience.

The Basij is an Iranian armed, civilian militia intended to assist the regime across a wide range of areas, including maintaining internal security, enforcing regime control over society, policing public morality (“morality police”), and suppressing dissent. It was established in 1979 by Ayatollah Khomeini as a “20-million-man army” to defend the Islamic Revolution in Iran and the country’s political and religious system. The Basij was later placed under the IRGC’s ground forces command.

The Basij has played a prominent role in violently suppressing waves of protests in Iran over the years. It functions as the regime’s hard arm and serves as its eyes and ears throughout the country. As a militia, the Basij has also operated beyond Iran’s borders, including in Iraq, Syria, and possibly Yemen and Lebanon as well.The exact number of Basij members is unknown, with estimates ranging from 1.5 million recruits to over 10 million members.

It is possible that Basij recruits include those who failed to gain acceptance into the formal ranks of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). The force also includes underage boys, elderly men, students, and women. The militia’s annual budget is estimated at around $500 million, and its members are expected to be ready for mobilization when called upon. Although the volunteers do not receive a salary, they are granted various state benefits — for example, preferential access to government jobs and advantages in receiving public services.

After the establishment of the Basij, its volunteers were sent ahead of regular military forces during the Iran-Iraq War to sacrifice themselves by detonating minefields with their bodies and were even ordered to storm Iraqi positions. After the war, the Basij was organized into regional battalions and brigades. The United States has designated the Basij as a “terrorist organization.”

Since July 2019, the Basij has been commanded by Brigadier General Gholamreza Soleimani. Born in 1964, he has held numerous positions within the IRGC Ground Forces, including command of three different divisions.