Tue Aug 11, 2009 7:00am EDT

(Reuters) – Iran‘s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) and its Basij militia have spearheaded efforts to combat unrest after the disputed presidential election on June 12.

The Revolutionary Guards called on Sunday for opposition leaders such as Mirhossein Mousavi to be put on trial for fomenting the protests that erupted after the presidential election, state news agency IRNA reported.

Here are some questions and answers about the IRGC, which has expanded in the last 30 years into a potent force with sprawling military, political, social and economic interests:

* WHAT IS THE IRGC?

The IRGC was set up after the 1979 Islamic revolution to protect the ruling system against internal and external threats and to uphold revolutionary values. It answers to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the Islamic Republic’s top authority.

It controls the Basij religious volunteer militia, famed for “human wave” attacks in the 1980-88 war with Iraq. The Basij are Iran’s moral police, enforcing Islamic social codes and quelling civil unrest. They are said to number millions.

Qods (Jerusalem) Force is a shadowy IRGC special operations unit, handling activities abroad. The United States, which says the Qods Force backs militants in Iraq, Lebanon and Afghanistan, has imposed sanctions on firms and individuals linked to what it brands a terrorist organization. The United States has also designated the IRGC a proliferator of weapons of mass destruction for what it says is its role in Iran’s nuclear and ballistic missile programs. Tehran says its nuclear program has only peaceful purposes.

* WHAT ARE THE IRGC’S MILITARY CAPABILITIES?

The IRGC, initially focused on internal security, became a more organized combat force during the war with Iraq, and now has about 125,000 fighters with army, navy and air units. It operates separately from the 350,000-strong regular army.

Guardsmen fought in conventional battles against Iraq, but they also developed irregular tactics, such as hit-and-run raids using small craft targeting shipping to try to knock out Iraq’s oil exports. Such tactics could be revived. An Iranian military commander has said “martyrdom-seeking” Basijis could disrupt Gulf oil shipping routes if the need arose.

The IRGC controls Iran’s strategic missile forces and has played a key role in developing advanced systems such as the Shahab-3 missile with a range of 2,000 km (1,250 miles).

* HOW DOES IRGC OPERATE IN THE POLITICAL SYSTEM?

The IRGC’s mandate to protect revolutionary values has prompted it to speak out when it felt the system was threatened.

General Yadollah Javani, director of the IRGC’s political arm, said this month the Guardsmen who suppressed post-election protests had thwarted an attempt to overthrow Islamic rule. He called on Sunday for the arrest of Mousavi and fellow-reformists Mohammad Khatami and Mehdi Karoubi for their part in the unrest.

The IRGC’s influence appears to have grown since hardline President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad came to power in 2005. Two-thirds of his first 21-man cabinet were IRGC veterans, like himself.

Some analysts suggest the corps’ political power already eclipses that of Ahmadinejad. Given Khamenei’s reliance on the Guard to quell dissent, the supreme leader himself may now be hostage to the force he commands, some analysts argue.

http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE57A2E520090811