Iran: Profile

Following the Islamic Revolution in 1979, Iran became an anti-democratic repressive theocracy intent on exporting its Shi’ite Islamist ideology across the Middle East and the Muslim world. The leader of the revolution and Iran’s first Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, died in 1989 and was succeeded by Ayatollah Ali Khameini, who continues to rule Iran to this day. 

The Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) was established by Iran’s leadership to enforce its control both within Iran and beyond the country’s borders. The elite Quds Force of the IRGC is the regime’s primary body used to cultivate and support numerous Iranian-backed terrorist proxies across the Middle East and beyond, including in Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Yemen, and the Gaza Strip. 

A cornerstone objective of the IRGC Quds Force and their regional proxies is the encroachment and  destruction of the State of Israel. To this end, the Iranian regime has spent billions of dollars on attempting to entrench its terror proxies on Israel’s borders, including Hezbollah in Lebanon, the Assad regime and Shi’ite militias in Syria, and the Hamas and Islamic Jihad terror groups in Gaza.

While the Iranian regime spends vast sums of money on terrorist activity abroad,  the dire economic situation in Iran continues to inflict enormous suffering on the people of Iran. Poverty levels are rising, crucial infrastructure is crumbling, and severe water shortages are felt throughout the country. When ordinary Iranians have taken to the streets to protest against the country's desperate economic situation, the regime violently suppressed these demonstrations. The priority for the Iranian regime continues to be spending on regional aggression and attacking Israel over the welfare of its own people.