Iran’s most powerful military organization, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRCG) has transformed into the ultimate symbol of Iran’s defiance against Western pressures. Following the 1978 Iranian Revolution, the United States imposed multiple rounds of sanctions on Iran’s economy in response to its aggressive foreign policy. In the early 2000s, the US led the creation of an international sanctions regime targeting Iran’s energy and financial sectors. While they were designed to weaken Iran’s economy and constrain its regional ambitions, they have paradoxically bolstered the very forces they sought to restrain. The IRGC has been likened to “a state within a state” as its operations impact all parts of Iranian society, with its own army, navy, air force, and intelligence services. Today, the IRGC not only drives Iran’s resistance but also represents the greatest challenge to Western efforts at controlling the country’s trajectory.
Sanctions as a Catalyst for Defiance
Sanctions targeting Iran aimed to punish anti-Western factions and incentivize the creation of a more cooperative foreign policy. The 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), signed by the US, its European allies, and Iran, provided significant relief from Western sanctions in exchange for Iran’s guarantee to limit its nuclear program. However, the US withdrawal in 2018 under President Trump severely weakened the deal, intensifying Iran’s economic strain. The Trump Administration withdrew, hoping they could bring Iran back to the negotiating table with more favorable terms for the West, in a deal Trump dubbed the “Grand Bargain.” However, these new sanctions were a double-edged sword: instead of diminishing Iran’s influence, they deepened its resolve to resist, embodied most prominently by the IRGC.
The IRGC is a military organization, distinct from the traditional armed forces, under the direct supervision of Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, the highest-ranking political and religious figure in Iran. Far from being a passive recipient of sanctions, the IRGC has leveraged economic restrictions to consolidate power internally and externally. A central target of these sanctions has been Iran’s oil industry–the backbone of its economy–and with sanctions forcing foreign companies to leave Iran and legitimate avenues of oil export severely restricted, the IRCG stepped in to fill the gap. This has allowed the organization to greatly increase its political and economic capital in Iranian society to bolster its military and strategic activities in opposition to Western demands. Today its operations include not just oil smuggling, but banking, telecommunications, construction, and more. Their growing role in leading Iran’s economy has, in turn, strengthened the position of Supreme Leader Khamenei in the Iranian government.
Khamenei–inherently conservative and resistant to improving relations with the West– has utilized the IRGC as a political weapon to crack down on protest and dissent, isolating reformists from positions of power. The collapse of the JCPOA is seen in Iran as a significant setback for reformist ideology, allowing hardline conservatives, such as Khamenei, to cement their control over all branches of government. Key reformers, such as former President Rouhani, who helped negotiate the JCPOA, have been systematically blocked from positions of power and prevented from participating in elections. These developments demonstrate how harsh Western sanctions have inadvertently bolstered the IRGC, which, in turn, has strengthened the position of anti-Western hardliners within the Iranian government.
The Consequences for Western Diplomacy
As the IRGC grows stronger, the prospects of engaging Iran diplomatically have become increasingly slim. The consolidation of conservative forces in the Iranian government, supported by the IRGC, proves that sanctions are pushing the country further away from the negotiating table. Recent developments–like Iran’s refusal to re-enter negotiations after Trump’s withdrawal –highlight how the sanctions have altered the nation’s geopolitical landscape.
Western attempts to reassert control over Iran or negotiate with its government face a huge barrier: the IRGC and its conservative supporters thrive on anti-Western policies and have little incentive to compromise. Rather than isolate the IRGC, sanctions have forced the organization to look beyond Iran’s borders, forging illicit trade networks with other sanctioned regimes. The result is a highly organized global black-market economy that strengthens Iran’s economic resilience while eroding the intended impact of sanctions.
This evolving strategy has also expanded the IRGC’s influence significantly across the region. By building and supporting the ‘Axis of Resistance’–which includes US-designated terrorist groups like Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Houthis–the IRGC has positioned Iran as a formidable actor in Middle Eastern politics. These groups have received funding, training, and weapons from the IRGC, while the IRGC’s international branch, the Quds Force, has also been directly responsible for attacks on American troops and its allies in the region. Through these coalitions, the IRGC has increased Iran’s ability to project power, while also enhancing the legitimacy of hardliners like Khamenei as defenders of the Islamic Republic’s interests.
The strengthening of the IRGC and Iran’s conservatives have significant impacts on US foreign policy. The Middle East, a region with vital American interests, continues to destabilize as armed factions–such as Hezbollah and Hamas–rely on Iran’s support in an increasingly deadly war with Israel. Iran has repeatedly violated the terms of the JCPOA, enriching uranium at levels close to the threshold for creating a nuclear weapon. The growth of its nuclear program has led Israel to threaten missile strikes against these nuclear facilities, adding an additional layer of tension to an already heightened conflict. Meanwhile, the conservatives in Iran’s government, now more powerful, are pushing for stronger partnerships with Russia and China, historic adversaries of the US.
Western sanctions, meant to neutralize anti-Western forces in Iran and foster a more cooperative foreign policy, have instead empowered hardliners like the IRGC and deepened Iran’s hostility. Rather than weakening these factions, sanctions have fueled the very forces the West has sought to neutralize.
Edited by Malin Braendeland
The opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author and they do not reflect the position of the McGill Journal of Political Science or the Political Science Students’ Association.
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