FILE—Iran's Revolutionary Guard members stand in front of Shahab-3 missile which is displayed during the annual pro-Palestinians Al-Quds, or Jerusalem, Day rally in Tehran, Iran, April 29, 2022. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi, File)
FILE—Iranian-made drones of the Revolutionary Guard aerospace division are seen on a truck during an annual military parade in front of the shrine of the late revolutionary founder Ayatollah Khomeini, just outside Tehran, Iran, Sept. 22, 2023. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi, File)
FILE—A member of Iran's Revolutionary Guard stands guard at Enqelab-e-Eslami (Islamic Revolution) square in downtown Tehran, Iran, June 24, 2025. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi, File)
FILE—Missiles are displayed by Iranian Revolutionary Guard during an annual armed forces parade in front of the shrine of the late revolutionary founder Ayatollah Khomeini, just outside Tehran, Iran, Sept. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi, File)
FILE—Iran's Revolutionary Guard members stand in front of Shahab-3 missile which is displayed during the annual pro-Palestinians Al-Quds, or Jerusalem, Day rally in Tehran, Iran, April 29, 2022. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi, File)
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FILE—Iranian-made drones of the Revolutionary Guard aerospace division are seen on a truck during an annual military parade in front of the shrine of the late revolutionary founder Ayatollah Khomeini, just outside Tehran, Iran, Sept. 22, 2023. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi, File)
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FILE—A member of Iran's Revolutionary Guard stands guard at Enqelab-e-Eslami (Islamic Revolution) square in downtown Tehran, Iran, June 24, 2025. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi, File)
FILE—Missiles are displayed by Iranian Revolutionary Guard during an annual armed forces parade in front of the shrine of the late revolutionary founder Ayatollah Khomeini, just outside Tehran, Iran, Sept. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi, File)
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Iran's paramilitary Revolutionary Guard has grown into a powerful force with the country's theocracy, answering only to its supreme leader and overseeing its ballistic missile arsenal and missions overseas.
The force was in the spotlight Tuesday when in the country. The allegation recalls earlier attacks and attempted assaults linked back to the Guard’s Quds Force, its expeditionary arm. “Quds†is a word in both Arabic and Farsi for Jerusalem and reflects one of the force's key missions: confronting Israel.
Here's more to know about the Guard.
Born out of a revolution
The Guard was born from as a force meant to protect its Shiite cleric-overseen government and later enshrined in its constitution. It operated parallel to the country’s regular armed forces, growing in prominence and power during a long and ruinous war with Iraq in the 1980s. Though facing possible disbandment after the war, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei granted it powers to expand into private enterprise, allowing it to thrive.
Foreign operations key for the Guard
The Guard's Quds Force was key in creating what against Israel and the United States. It backed Syria's former President Bashar Assad, Lebanon's Hezbollah, Yemen's Houthis and other groups in the region, growing in power in the wake of the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq in 2003.
U.S. officials say the against U.S. troops there. The Quds Force, as well as Iranian intelligence agencies, are believed to have hired criminal gangs and others to target dissidents and Iran's perceived enemies abroad.
Since the Israel-Hamas war, Israel has arrested citizens it has accused of receiving orders from Iran to surveil targets or conduct vandalism. Iran has denied being involved in those plots. The Guard is also believe to be heavily involved in smuggling throughuot the Mideast.
Guard's intelligence arm tied to arrests of foreigners
The Guard also operates its own intelligence services and has been behind a series of arrests and convictions of dual nationals and those with Western ties on espionage charges in closed hearings. Western nations and others described Iran as using those prisoners as bargaining chips in negotiations, particularly over its nuclear program.
After making its announcement about Iran, Australia warned its citizens in Iran to immediately leave if they were able, noting they closed their embassy and that “foreigners in Iran, including Australians and dual Australian-Iranian nationals, are at a high risk of arbitrary detention or arrest.â€
Guard under new pressure after 12-day war with Israel
The Guard's carefully laid “Axis of Resistance†has faced its greatest challenge in the wake of . Hamas was one of the groups backed by Iran. Israel launched a war against the group in the Gaza Strip which rages on today. Meanwhile, Israel began targeting other Iranian-backed groups, decimating Hezbollah and repeatedly targeting
In Syria, Assad's government fell in December, taking away a key ally for Tehran and the Guard. Israel and Iran exchanged missile fire, something overseen by the Guard.
But in June, . In its first day, those strikes killed top generals in the Guard, throwing the force into disarray. Israeli attacks also destroyed ballistic missile sites and launchers, as well as Guard-manned air defense systems.
