Basij

Iranian paramilitary volunteer militia

This article contains one or more duplicated citations.

The reason given is: DuplicateReferences detected:

* https://topics.nytimes.com/topics/reference/timestopics/organizations/b/basij_militia/index.html (refs: 10, 18)

It is recommended to use named references to consolidate citations that are used multiple times. (June 2025) (Learn how and when to remove this message)

|

Organization for Mobilization of the Oppressedسازمان بسیج مستضعفین

Banner of Basij

Formation| 26 November 1979; 45 years ago (1979-11-26) (decreed)[1]
30 April 1980; 45 years ago (1980-04-30) (founded)[1]
Founder| Ruhollah Khomeini[1]
Type| Paramilitary volunteer militia[1]
Purpose| "To create the necessary capabilities in all individuals believing in the constitution and goals of the Islamic revolution to defend the country, the regime of the Islamic Republic, and aid people in cases of disasters and unexpected events"[1]
Fields| Internal security, law enforcement, moral policing, military reserves[1]
Membership| Over 25 million reserves (volunteers who hold membership)[2]
600,000 available for immediate call-up[3]

Commander

| Brig. Gen. Gholamreza Soleimani or unofficially Mojtaba Khamenei (alleged)

Parent organization

| None (1980–81)
Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (since 1981)
Budget|  $357.08 million[4] (1395 SH)
Staff| 90,000 (CSIS estimate)[1] (2005)
Website| basij.ir

The Basij (Persian: بسيج, lit. 'Mobilization'), formally Sâzmân-e Basij-e Mostaz'afin (سازمان بسیج مستضعفین, 'Organization for Mobilization of the Oppressed'),[5][6] is a paramilitary volunteer militia within the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and one of its five branches.[7] An individual member is called basiji in the Persian language.[1][8] As of July 2019[update], Gholamreza Soleimani is the commander of the Basij.

A paramilitary volunteer militia established in Iran in 1979 by order of Ayatollah Khomeini, leader of the Iranian Revolution, the organization originally consisted of civilian volunteers, often from poor, tribal, rural backgrounds affected by Post-Revolution economical and geopolitical issues,[9] who were urged by Khomeini to fight in the Iran–Iraq War.[10] Khomeini would occasionally refer to Basij as "The Twenty Million Army", claiming that about 75% of the time's population are Basijis. He would elaborate saying, that a country with 20 million of its people as their army, will be undefeatable.[11] Basij was an independent organization until 17 February 1981, when it was officially incorporated into the Revolutionary Guards organization structure by the Iranian Parliament[12] in order to end the interservice rivalry between the two, according to Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani.[1]

Today, the force consists of young Iranians, a significant portion drawn from the traditionally Shia cleric religious and politically loyalist parts of Iran's society,[9] who volunteer, often in exchange for official benefits. With branches in "virtually every" city and town in Iran,[1][13] the Basij serve as an auxiliary force engaged in enforcing state control over society,[14] acting as a morality police at checkpoints and parks, and suppressing dissident gathering,[9] as well as serving as law enforcement auxiliary, providing social services, organizing public religious ceremonies.[15][16] The force was often present and reacting to the widespread 2009 Iranian election protests, 2017–18 Iranian protests, and the 2022-2023 Mahsa Amini protests.[17] The Basij are subordinate to and receive their orders from the IRGC and the Supreme Leader of Iran,[18][19] They are said to be "tightly affiliated" with the Islamic Republic's "hardline" political faction,[9] and "routinely" praised by the Supreme Leader,[20] but also called a "profound source of disquiet and rancor" among the general public in Iran.[21] Following Operation Midnight Hammer, Basij forces has significantly increased its urban patrols, especially at night to “ensure security".[22]

As part of the IRGC's sphere, the Basij are indirectly designated as a terrorist organization by the governments of the United States, Bahrain and Saudi Arabia.[23] The Basij has been frequently implicated in human rights violations, including torture, rape and sexual violence,[24] enforcing sharia law on citizens such as the mandatory wearing of the hijab.[25][26][27]

## Terminology

[edit]

Basij (Persian: بسيج) is a Persian word defined variously as mobilization, public preparation, nation will and popular determination, and the unity and preparation of the people to do important works.[28]

## History

[edit]

### Iran–Iraq War

[edit]

Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini called for the foundation of a youth militia in November 1979, during the Iranian Revolution.[5] The Basij was established on 30 April 1980.[8] It was open to those above the age of 18 and below the age of 45.

During the Iran–Iraq War hundreds of thousands volunteered for the Basij, including children as young as 12 and unemployed old men, some in their eighties. These volunteers were swept up in Shi'a love of martyrdom and the atmosphere of patriotism of the war mobilization; most often they came from poor, peasant backgrounds. They were encouraged through visits to schools and an intensive media campaign. During the war, the Revolutionary Guard Corps used Basiji members as a pool from which to draw manpower.[29] The Basij may best be known for their employment of human wave attacks which cleared minefields or drew the enemy's fire.[30] It is estimated that tens of thousands were killed through the use of this tactic.

The typical human wave tactic was for Basijis (often very lightly armed and unsupported by artillery or air power) to march forward in straight rows. While casualties were high, the tactic often worked when employed against poorly trained members of the Iraqi regular army.[31][32]

According to Dilip Hiro, by the spring of 1983 the Basij had trained 2.4 million Iranians in the use of arms and sent 450,000 to the front.[33] In 1985 the IRNA put the number of Basijis at 3 million, quoting from Hojjatoleslam Rahmani.[5] Tehran Bureau estimates the peak number of Basijis at the front at 100,000 by December 1986.[8]

According to Radio Liberty, by the end of the Iran-Iraq war, most of the Basijis left the service and were reintegrated back into their lives, often after years of being in the front.[34] By 1988, the number of Basij checkpoints dramatically decreased,[35] but the Basij were still enforcing the hijab, arresting women for violating the dress code, and arresting youths for attending mixed gender parties or being in public with unrelated members of the opposite sex.[36]

In 1988, college Basiji organizations were established on college campuses to fight "Westoxification" and potential student agitation against the government.[36]

Islamic Revolutionary
Guard Corps

Command
Supreme Leader
Commanders
Joint Staff
Military branches
Ground Forces
Aerospace Force
Navy
Quds Force
Basij
Intelligence agencies
Intelligence Organization
Intelligence Protection Organization
Personnel
Ranks insignia
Facilities
Imam Hossein University
Baqiyatallah University
University of Command and Staff
Amir Al-Momenin University

* v
* t
* e

### Revival

[edit]

Whether the Basij remained intact since their founding is disputed or were disbanded and revived is disputed. According to Reuters, the Basij were not disbanded after the Iran-Iraq War ended in 1988, but continued as a loyalist and religious paramilitary group that provides the regime "with manpower and a heavy presence during pro-government rallies".[9] But according to The New York Times, the Basij were reactivated in the late 1990s when the spontaneous celebrations following Iran winning a spot in the 1998 FIFA World Cup, and the student protests in July 1999, gave the Islamic government the feeling that it had lost control of the streets.[18] (Giving a slightly different timeline, GlobalSecurity.org reports that it was revived around 2005.)[35]

Part of the Basij revival was an emphasis on concepts such as Development Basij (Basij-e-Sazandegi),[35] but protecting the regime from unrest was a high priority. Along with the Iranian riot police and the Ansar-e-Hezbollah, the Basij have been active in suppressing student demonstrations in Iran. The Basij are sometimes differentiated from the Ansar in being more "disciplined" and not beating, or at least not being as quick to beat demonstrators.[37] Other sources describe the Ansar-e-Hezbollah as part of the Basij.[18]

Some believe the change in focus of the Basij from its original mission of fighting to defend Iran in the Iran-Iraq War to its current internal security concerns has led to a loss in its prestige and morale.[38]

### Syrian Civil War, 2011–2021

[edit]

Further information: Iranian support for Syria in the Syrian Civil War

One foreign conflict the Basij were involved in was on the side of the IRI's ally the Syrian Baathist regime. A Western analyst believed thousands of Iranian paramilitary Basij fighters were stationed in Syria as of December 2013.[39] Syria's geopolitical importance to Iran and its role as one of Iran's crucial allies prompted the involvement of Basij militiamen in the ongoing Syrian Civil War. The Basij militia, similar to Hezbollah fighters, work with the Syrian army against rebel forces. Such involvement poses new foreign policy challenges for a number of countries across the region, particularly Israel and Turkey as Iran's influence becomes more than just ideological and monetary on the ground in the Syrian conflict.[clarification needed][40] The Basij involvement in the Syrian Civil War reflects previous uses of the militia as a proxy force for Iranian foreign policy in an effort to assert Iranian dominance in the region[41] and frightens Salim Idriss, head of the Free Syrian Army.[42]

### Protest movements

[edit]

Further information: Political repression in the Islamic Republic of Iran

Iran has seen a series of political/social/economic protest movements during the 21st century that its security forces have been active in crushing—the July 1999 student protests, 2009 presidential election protests, protests in 2011–2012, 2019–2020 and the 2022-2023 Mahsa Amini protests. When protests erupt, the Basij often act as the state's "iron fist".[9]

#### 2009 election protests

[edit]

The Basij have reportedly become "more important", more powerful, since the 2009 Iranian election—despite their "poor handing" of the protests over the election results.[1] Mir Hussein Moussavi, opposition presidential candidate in 2009, decried violent attacks by the Basij during the 2009 Iranian election protests.[18] There have also been reports of poor performance by Basij after the 2009 election.[8] This was thought to be a reason for the replacement of commander Hossein Taeb and the Basij's formal integration into the Revolutionary Guards ground forces in October 2009.[8] Following the protests, Hojjatoleslam Hossein Taeb, commander of the Basij, stated that eight people were killed and 300 wounded in the violence.[43]

In 2010, an anonymous Norwegian student doing research in Iran claims he witnessed gruesome atrocities inside a Basij camp after being abducted by the unit while riding on a bus. According to the account the student gave to Norwegian embassy officials, he witnessed detained political dissidents being 'disemboweled', burned to death, and deliberately crushed by a riot control truck.[44]

During the protests, Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei created the Haydaryan, a new paramilitary force specifically dedicated to preserving his position; several of the founding Haydaryan members came from the Basij.[45]

#### Mahsa Amini protests

[edit]

Main article: Mahsa Amini protests

According to Reuters, Basij were at the "forefront" of the Islamic Republic's efforts to stamp out the protests over the death of Mahsa Amini and related lack of political and social freedoms the country.[9] According to Tara Kangarlou of Time magazine, the Basij were responsible for most imprisonments, injuries, and killings of protesters.[21] These protests, starting in September 2022 and dying out the following spring, led to over 500 deaths, including the deaths of 68 minors as of 15 September 2023[update].[note 1] Unlike some earlier protests they were "nationwide, spread across social classes, universities, the streets [and] schools".[47]

Journalists and human rights activists have catalogued a number of serious human rights violations used to crush the unrest by the Basij and other IRI security forces. These included forced confessions, threats to uninvolved family members, and torture, including electric shocks, controlled drowning, and mock execution (based on CNN interviews);[48] sexual violence/rape (based on testimony and social media videos corroborated by a CNN investigation),[49] “systematic" attempts to blind protesters by shooting at their eye with projectiles such as "pellets, teargas canisters, paintball bullets" (activist media group IranWire documented at least 580 cases).[50] Using ambulances to transport security forces and kidnapped protesters under the guise of rushing injured civilians to receive emergency medical attention.[51][52]

The Iranian state media reports that security forces such as the Basij were targeted and killed by "rioters and gangs" mainly the members of a specific unknown organization that orchestrated this whole protest [9] in their efforts to restore order and stop the destruction of public property by protesters,[9] and that by 6 January 2023, at least 68 security force members were killed in the unrest.[53] (However, according to BBC Persian service, these figures may not be reliable as some of those reported by state media to be loyalist Basij militiamen killed by the "rioters", were actually protesters killed by security forces, whose families were pressured by security forces to go along with the false reporting, threatening them with death if they failed to cooperate.)[54]

## Organization, membership, duties, activities

[edit]

### Organization

[edit]

Basij form the fifth branch of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. Different sources divide the Basij into different categories. As of 2011, according to Saeid Golkar, there are "seventeen different Basij suborganizations (for students, workers, employees, engineers, etc.)".[55] Members fall into a hierarchy of "regular, active, and special".[55]

* regular members are at the lowest level and have "basic" ideological and military training.[55]
* active members must pass a 45-day ideological and military training program and are "more engaged" in the organization's activities.[55]
* special members are actually full-time IRGC members serving in the Basij.[55]

Dealing with security threats are the Imam Hossein Brigades and the Imam Ali Brigades.[8] Its security apparatus includes armed brigades, anti-riot police and an extensive network of informers.[20]

Subgroupings of the Basij include the

* Primary Schools Basij Cadets [Basij-e Danesh-Amouzi],
* the Students Basij Cadets [Basij-e Daneshjouyi],
* the University Basij Cadets,
* the Public Service Basij (Basij-e Edarii), and
* the Tribal Basij.[34]

Tehran Bureau also lists a "Guilds Basij Division" (Basij-e Asnaf), and a "Labor Basij" (Basij-e Karegaran).[8] Australian Broadcasting Corporation lists them as having branches across the country, as well as "student organisations, trade guilds, and medical faculties".[20]

The Fatehin serves as the Basij's special forces unit.[56]

### Size, bases

[edit]

Estimates of the number of Basij vary, with its leadership giving higher figures than outside commentators. Official estimates are as high as 23.8 million.[57] A scholar of the Basij, Saeid Golkar, estimates their total membership at approximately one million, and their security forces in the tens of thousands.[20] As of 2020 there were reportedly between 40,000[20] and 54,000 Basij bases (Paygha-e Basij) around Iran.[58]

### Economic power

[edit]

According to the US Treasury, the Basij have a multi-billion-dollar "covert network" of businesses.[20] According to Saeid Golkar, the influence of the Basij in the Iranian economy, has grown to extend to "every sector", from "construction and real estate to the stock market".[55] In 1996, six organizations were put under the control of the Basij Cooperative Foundation (BCF)

1. The Basijis Housing Institution (Moassesseh-ye Tamin-e Maskan-e Basijian).
2. The Basijis Medical Institution (Moassesseh-ye Tamin-e darman-e Basijian).
3. The Basijis No-Interest Loan Institute (Moassesseh-ye Gharz al-Hassaneh-ye Basijian).
4. The Basijis Consumer-Goods Provision Institution (Moassesseh-ye Tamin-e Aghlam-e Masrafi-ye Basijian).
5. The Cultural Artistic Institute of the Warriors of Islam (Moassesseh-ye Farhangi Honari-ye Razmandegan-e Eslam).
6. The Scientific and Pedagogic Services Institute of the Fighters (Moassesseh-ye Khadamat-e Elmi va Amouzeshi-ye Razmandegan).[59][55]

As the government privatized companies under president Hashemi Rafsanjani, The Basij Cooperative Foundation became the Basij's main mechanism for "purchasing entire industries on the cheap".[55]

### Duties and activities

[edit]

Duties vary by province. Basij are deployed against drug traffickers in the eastern border regions and smugglers in Hormuzgan and Bushehr, and on the border with Iraq.[60]

The Ashura Brigades were created in 1993. These Islamic brigades were made up of both Revolutionary Guards and the Basij and by 1998 numbered 17,000.[5]

According to Golkar,[14] the Basij are used to spread the state's ideology, serve as propaganda machine in political campaigns, justify clerical rule, protect politicians, and enforce Islamic morality and rules. They are part of the Islamic Republic's of Iran's overall avowed plan to have millions of informers. The Basiji also undermine dissent; for instance, they play a key role in suppressing uprisings and demonstrations.[14]

Basij are present at every Iranian university to monitor morality (primarily dress) and behaviour. (In part this is because Universities and other places of post-secondary education are where Iranian males and females "meet for the first time in a mixed educational environment").[9]

### Commanders

[edit]

The Basij is currently commanded by Gholamreza Soleimani, who replaced Gholamhossein Gheybparvar in 2019.[61]

No. | Portrait  | Commander | Took office | Left office | Time in office | Ref.

|
|
|
|
|
|

| Majd, AmirAmir Majd| December 1979| December 1981| 1–2 years| [62]

| Salek, AhmadAhmad Salek
(born c. 1946)| December 1981| February 1984| 2–3 years| [62]

| Rahmani, Mohammad-AliMohammad-Ali Rahmani
(born 1953)| 16 February 1984| January 1990| 5–6 years| [62][63]

| Afshar, AlirezaBrigadier general
Alireza Afshar
(born c. 1951)| 1990| 1998| 7–8 years| –

| Hejazi, MohammadBrigadier general
Mohammad Hejazi
(1956–2021)| 1998| 2007| 8–9 years| –

| Taeb, HosseinHossein Taeb
(born 1963)| 2007| 2009| 1–2 years| –

| Naqdi, Mohammad RezaBrigadier general
Mohammad Reza Naqdi
(born c. 1952 or 1961)| 2009| 2016| 6–7 years| –

| Gheybparvar, GholamhosseinBrigadier general
Gholamhossein Gheybparvar
(1962–2025)| 2016| 2019| 2–3 years| –

| Soleimani, GholamrezaBrigadier general
Gholamreza Soleimani
(born 1964)| 2019| Incumbent| 5–6 years| –

### Motivation

[edit]

While some joined the Basij because of genuine religious convictions, or loyalty to their pro-regime and traditional religious family and community background, others reportedly join Basij only to take advantage of the benefits of membership and to get admission to university or as a tool to get promotion in government jobs.[14][64][20]

Benefits for members of the Basij reportedly include exemption from the 21 months of military service required for Iranian men, reserved spots in universities, and a small stipend.[18] Members of Basij are more likely than non-members to obtain government positions, especially security related positions within government-controlled institutions.

In addition, recruits are also "put through heavy indoctrination". including an initial month and a half of "military and ideological training".[20]

## Politics

[edit]

In theory, the Basij are banned from involvement in politics by the Iranian constitution, but its leadership is considered active, particularly during and after the 2005 election of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.[8] In past elections militia members have voted for both hardliners and reformists. President Ahmadinejad received significant support from militia members, many of whom have benefited from his policies during his presidency.[65] Supreme Leader Khamenei described Basij as "the greatest hope of the Iranian nation" and "an immaculate tree".[19]

## Controversy

[edit]

The Basij militia has long been a source of domestic and international controversy due to its central role in suppressing dissent and enforcing ideological conformity in Iran. While officially tasked with promoting Islamic values and supporting public order, the force has been widely criticized for its involvement in human rights abuses.[66][67][68]

Allegations against the Basij include arbitrary arrests, torture, sexual violence, and the targeting of minors. Additionally, the group’s role in enforcing hijab laws and monitoring civilian behavior has raised serious concerns about privacy, bodily autonomy, and freedom of expression. International organizations such as Amnesty International and the United Nations have documented numerous cases in which Basij members used excessive and, at times, lethal force during protests, most notably during the 2009 Green Movement and the 2022–2023 Mahsa Amini protests.The Basij’s close ties to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and protection from legal accountability have further fueled criticism, leading many observers to view the organization not as a civilian force, but as a powerful instrument of state repression.[26][69]

Amnesty International reports include 45 survivors, ranging from children to adults (aged 12–48), who endured rape (including multilateral or gang rape) and other forms of sexual assault, perpetrated with objects like batons and hosepipes, by state agents including Basij members.[24]

## See also

[edit]

* Iran portal
* Asia portal

* Guidance Patrol
* Hezbollah of Iran
* Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps
* Killing of Neda Agha-Soltan
* List of armed groups in the Syrian Civil War
* Zahra Bani Yaghoub
* Political repression in the Islamic Republic of Iran

### Similar groups

[edit]

* Shabiha (Ba'athist Syria)
* Colectivo (Venezuela)
* Extermination battalions (Soviet Union)
* Red Guards (China)
* Schutzstaffel (Nazi Germany)
* Janjaweed and Rapid Support Forces (Sudan)
* Argentine Anticommunist Alliance (Argentina)
* Petrus (Indonesia, under Suharto)
* Anti-Communist Apostolic Alliance (Spain)
* Tonton Macoute (Duvalier Haiti)

## Notes

[edit]

1. ^ according to the non-profit organization Iran Human Rights[46]

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Robin B. Wright, ed. (2010), The Iran Primer: Power, Politics, and U.S. Policy, US Institute of Peace Press, pp. 62–65, ISBN 978-1601270849
2. ^ "تعداد اعضای بسیج بیش از 25 میلیون نفر". Archived from the original on 13 February 2022. Retrieved 13 February 2022.
3. ^ Kenneth Katzman (6 February 2017), "Iran's Foreign and Defense Policies" (PDF), Congressional Research Service, Federation of American Scientists, p. 24, archived (PDF) from the original on 8 March 2017, retrieved 1 March 2017
4. ^ "Iran decreases IRGC budget for next year". AzerNews Newspaper. 18 January 2016. Archived from the original on 23 April 2016. Retrieved 30 March 2016.
5. ^ a b c d John Pike. "GlobalSecurity.org Intelligence: Mobilisation Resistance Force". Archived from the original on 30 April 2011. Retrieved 10 November 2014.
6. ^ AEI Outlook Series: What Do Structural Changes in the Revolutionary Guards Mean? Archived 27 October 2011 at the Wayback Machine
7. ^ Forozan, Hesam (2015), The Military in Post-Revolutionary Iran: The Evolution and Roles of the Revolutionary Guards, Taylor & Francis, pp. 56–58, ISBN 978-1317430735
8. ^ a b c d e f g h "Iran Primer: The Basij Resistance Force". FRONTLINE - Tehran Bureau. Retrieved 21 March 2024.
9. ^ a b c d e f g h i j "Iran's Basij force: specialists in cracking down on dissent". Reuters. 22 September 2022. Archived from the original on 5 October 2023. Retrieved 29 September 2023.
10. ^ "Basij Militia". The New York Times. 2 December 2011. Archived from the original on 15 May 2013. Retrieved 10 November 2014.
11. ^ "سیر تأسیس ارتش بیست میلیونی؛ از سازمان بسیج ملی تا نیروی مقاومت بسیج / روایتی از اولین مأموریت‌های بسیج در کشور". Archived from the original on 30 March 2023. Retrieved 5 January 2024.
12. ^ Alfoneh, Ali (2013), Iran Unveiled: How the Revolutionary Guards Is Transforming Iran from Theocracy into Military Dictatorship, AEI Press, p. 49
13. ^ Molavi, Afshin, The Soul of Iran, W.W. Norton, (2005), p.88
14. ^ a b c d Golkar, Saeid (2015). Captive Society: The Basij Militia and Social Control in Iran. Washington, DC: Woodrow Wilson Center Press. ISBN 978-0-231-80135-5.
15. ^ Molavi, Afshin, The Soul of Iran, W. W. Norton, (2005), p. 88, 316–318
16. ^ Neil MacFarquhar (19 June 2009). "Shadowy Iranian Vigilantes Vow Bolder Action". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 30 September 2017. Retrieved 19 June 2009.
17. ^ "Amnesty urges Iran to stop using Basij militia". The Gazette. 23 June 2009. Retrieved 23 September 2009.[dead link]
18. ^ a b c d e "The New York Times - Search". topics.nytimes.com. Retrieved 21 March 2024.
19. ^ a b "Supreme Leader's Speech to Basij Members". Khamenei.ir. 3 May 2008. Archived from the original on 12 November 2013. Retrieved 8 April 2013.
20. ^ a b c d e f g h "What we know about the Basij, the paramilitary volunteer group cracking down on protesters in Iran". ABC News (Australian Broadcasting). 13 October 2022. Archived from the original on 6 November 2023. Retrieved 29 September 2023.
21. ^ a b Kangarlou, Tara (5 December 2022). "The Brutal Militia Trained to Kill for Iran's Islamic Regime". Time magazine. Archived from the original on 24 September 2023. Retrieved 30 September 2023.
22. ^ "Iran says Basij paramilitary forces step up urban patrols". Al Arabiya English. 22 June 2025. Retrieved 22 June 2025.
23. ^ "Saudi, Bahrain add Iran's Revolutionary Guards to terrorism lists". Reuters. 23 October 2018. Archived from the original on 8 April 2019. Retrieved 9 March 2019.
24. ^ a b ""They Violently Raped Me"" (PDF).
25. ^ "Iran: Security Forces Kill, Torture, Abuse Children | Human Rights Watch". 25 April 2023. Retrieved 24 June 2025.
26. ^ a b "Iran: Security forces used rape and other sexual violence to crush "Woman Life Freedom" uprising with impunity". Amnesty International. 6 December 2023. Retrieved 24 June 2025.
27. ^ "Basij Thugs Attack Girls Language School In Iran To Enforce Hijab". www.iranintl.com. 23 February 2023. Retrieved 24 June 2025.
28. ^ بسیج Archived 6 November 2022 at the Wayback Machine abadis.ir
29. ^ Khomeinis Warriors: Foundation of Irans Regime, Its Guardians, Allies around the World, War Analysis, and Strategies by Mehran Riazaty, ISBN 978-1514470336
30. ^ Khomeini: Life of the Ayatollah by Baqer Moin
31. ^ Cited in: Erich Wiedemann, "Mit dem Paradies-Schlüssel in die Schlacht", in: Der Spiegel, no. 31/1982, p. 93.
32. ^ Iran at War: 1500–1988 (Pg. 363) By Kaveh Farrokh
33. ^ Hiro, Dilip, Iran under the Ayatollahs, Routledge and Kegan, 1985, p.237
34. ^ a b "Iran's Basij Force – The Mainstay Of Domestic Security". Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty. 15 January 2009. Archived from the original on 10 January 2012. Retrieved 10 November 2014.
35. ^ a b c "Iran: Paramilitary Force Prepares For Urban Unrest". www.globalsecurity.org. Retrieved 21 March 2024.
36. ^ a b Molavi, The Soul of Iran (2005), p. 89
37. ^ Molavi, The Soul of Iran (2005), p. 318
38. ^ Scott Peterson (16 June 2003). "Iran's angry young adults erupt in political protest 16.6.2003". The Christian Science Monitor. Archived from the original on 10 November 2014. Retrieved 10 November 2014.
39. ^ "Iran boosts support to Syria". The Telegraph. 21 February 2014. Retrieved 21 March 2024.
40. ^ "Iranian Forces on the Golan?". Jerusalem Center For Public Affairs. 29 May 2013. Archived from the original on 13 August 2013. Retrieved 10 November 2014.
41. ^ "The Arab world fears the 'Safavid'". Jerusalem Center For Public Affairs. Archived from the original on 10 November 2014. Retrieved 10 November 2014.
42. ^ Gordon, Michael R. (21 May 2013). "Iran and Hezbollah's Support for Syria Complicates U.S. Strategy on Peace Talks". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 7 March 2017. Retrieved 24 February 2017.
43. ^ Iran opposition says 72 died in post-poll unrest Archived 11 May 2020 at the Wayback Machine Reuters. 3 September 2009
44. ^ "From American Embassy Oslo to RUEHC/Secretary of State Washington DC 0021 Info European Political Collective Iran Collective Islamic Collective Confidential" (PDF). us.archive.org. 9 February 2020. Retrieved 29 September 2023.
45. ^ "Iran: The Supreme Leader's New Security Force". Archived from the original on 1 September 2017. Retrieved 1 September 2017.
46. ^ "One Year Protest Report: At Least 551 Killed and 22 Suspicious Deaths". Iran Human Rights. 15 September 2023. Archived from the original on 30 September 2023. Retrieved 29 September 2023.
47. ^ "Fresh protests erupt in Iran's universities and Kurdish region". The Guardian. 6 November 2022. Archived from the original on 26 November 2022. Retrieved 7 November 2022.
48. ^ "Stalked, tortured, disappeared: Iranian authorities have a playbook for silencing dissent, and they're using it again". CNN. 20 October 2022. Archived from the original on 16 January 2023. Retrieved 20 October 2022.
49. ^ "CNN investigates female and male protesters' accounts of sexual assault in Iranian detention centers". www.cnn.com. 2022. Archived from the original on 16 January 2023. Retrieved 26 November 2022.
50. ^ Pourahmadi, Adam; El Sirgany, Sarah; Karadsheh, Jomana (16 September 2023). "One year since Mahsa Amini's death, a protester shot in the eye during Iran's crackdown continues her struggle from exile". CNN. Archived from the original on 28 September 2023. Retrieved 28 September 2023.
51. ^ Tabrizy, Nilo; Jhaveri, Ishaan (23 November 2022). "How Iran's Security Forces Use Ambulances to Suppress Protests". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 26 November 2022. Retrieved 26 November 2022.
52. ^ "UNHRC to hold special session on Iran, human rights violations". The Jerusalem Post. 2022. Archived from the original on 16 January 2023. Retrieved 26 November 2022.
53. ^ "Iran hangs two men accused of killing security agent during protests". Reuters. 7 January 2022. Archived from the original on 16 January 2023. Retrieved 17 January 2023.
54. ^ Ghobadi, Parham (4 November 2022). "Iran security forces and state media cover up protester's death – source". BBC. Archived from the original on 16 January 2023. Retrieved 4 November 2022.
55. ^ a b c d e f g h Golkar, Saeid (October 2012). "Paramilitarization of the Economy : The Case of Iran's Basij Militia". Armed Forces & Society. 38 (4): 625–648\. doi:10.1177/0095327X12437687. JSTOR 48609114. S2CID 155010870. Archived from the original on 13 October 2023. Retrieved 30 September 2023.
56. ^ "Basij Special Unit Fatehin and Its Role in Quelling Iran's Protests". 13 December 2022.
57. ^ سردار نقدی در برنامه تلویزیونی «متن – حاشیه»:23 میلیون و 800 هزار نفر عضو بسیج هستند/ از کسی تا کنون شکایت نکرده ایم/ رابطه بسیج با این دولت مانند دولت قبل است Archived 23 February 2016 at the Wayback Machine, Fars news agency, 23 November 2015
58. ^ "سردار سپهر: ۵۴ هزار پایگاه بسیج برای رزمایش کمک مومنانه فعالیت می کنند". خبرگزاری تسنیم | Tasnim. Archived from the original on 12 November 2020. Retrieved 12 November 2020.
59. ^ S. M. Torabi and N. Rohi, (Persian), Basij in the Ray of Law (Tehran: Aye Cultural Publication, 2000), 219.
60. ^ Aryan, Hossein (5 February 2009). "Pillar Of The State". Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. Retrieved 21 March 2024.
61. ^ "Ayatollah Khamenei names new military commanders". Tehran Times. 2 July 2019. Archived from the original on 6 July 2019. Retrieved 6 July 2019.
62. ^ a b c Nikola B. Schahgaldian, Gina Barkhordarian (March 1987), The Iranian Military Under the Islamic Republic (PDF), RAND, ISBN 0-8330-0777-7, archived (PDF) from the original on 3 February 2017, retrieved 15 January 2017
63. ^ Golkar, Saeid (2015). Captive Society: The Basij Militia and Social Control in Iran. Washington D.C.: Columbia University Press. pp. 15, 18.
64. ^ McDowall, Angus (21 June 2009). "Iran's Basij force: the shock troops terrorising protesters". Daily Telegraph. London. Archived from the original on 29 May 2018. Retrieved 2 April 2018.
65. ^ "Profile: Basij militia force". BBC News. 18 June 2009. Archived from the original on 22 June 2009. Retrieved 27 June 2009.
66. ^ "Iran's Basij force: specialists in cracking down on dissent". Reuters. 22 September 2022. Retrieved 24 June 2025.
67. ^ Kangarlou, Tara (5 December 2022). "The Brutal Militia Trained to Kill for Iran's Islamic Regime". TIME. Retrieved 24 June 2025.
68. ^ "Iran". United States Department of State. Retrieved 24 June 2025.
69. ^ "Iran unlawfully detaining human rights activists, including new Nobel peace laureate, UN expert says". AP News. 6 October 2023. Retrieved 24 June 2025.

## Further reading

[edit]

* Golkar, Saeid. (2012) Paramilitarization of the Economy: The Case of Iran's Basij Militia, Armed Forces & Society, Vol. 38, No. 4
* Golkar, Saeid. (2015) Captive Society: The Basij Militia and Social Control in Iran. Woodrow Wilson Center Press and Columbia University Press.

## External links

[edit]

* Video Archive of Basij
* Letters from Iran on YouTube – The Basij in the Universities
* "Basij Students Organization official website". Archived from the original on 3 August 2004. Retrieved 2007-04-16.
* "Heavy Weapons for Baseej Volunteer Militia". Archived from the original on 23 April 2006. Retrieved 2006-04-16. from Rooz Online
* Alfoneh, Ali (21 October 2010). "Iran Primer: The Basij Resistance Force". PBS.

* v
* t
* e

Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps

* Joint Staff
* General Provost
* Ministry
* Rank Insignia

Commanders|

* Abbas Aghazamani
* Morteza Rezaee
* Mohsen Rezaee
* Yahya Rahim Safavi
* Mohammad Ali Jafari
* Hossein Salami
* Mohammad Pakpour

Forces|

* Ground Forces
* Navy
* Aerospace Force
* Quds Force
* Basij
* Nuclear Protection and Security

Military branches|

| Former divisions|

* 8th Najaf Ashraf
* 14th Imam Hossein
* 17th Ali ibn Abi Taleb
* 25th Karbala
* 27th Mohammad Rasulullah
* 31st Ashura
* 33rd Al-Mahdi
* 41st Tharallah

|

Provincial corps|

* Ardabil Hazrat Abbas
* East Azerbaijan Ashura
* West Azerbaijan Shohada
* Bushehr Imam Sadiq
* Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari Qamar Bani Hashim
* Fars Fajr
* Gilan Quds
* Golestan Neynava
* Hamedan Ansar al-Hussain
* Hormozgan Imam Sajjad
* Ilam Amir al-Muminin
* Isfahan Sahib-az-Zaman
* Kerman Sarallah
* Kermanshah Nabi Akram
* Khuzestan Valieasr
* Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad Fath
* Kurdistan Beit ol-Moqaddas
* South Khorasan Ansar al-Ridha
* Razavi Khorasan Imam Reza
* Razavi Khorasan Jawad al-Aemmah
* Losrestan Hazrat Abalfazl
* Mazandaran Karbala
* Markazi Ruhollah
* Tehran Muhammad Rasoul-Allah
* Tehran Sayid al-Shohada
* Qazvin Sahib al-Amr
* Qom Ali ibn Abi-Talib
* Semnan Qaim Aale-Muhammad
* Sistan and Baluchestan Salman
* Yazd Al-Ghadir
* Zanjan Ansar al-Mahdi

Intelligence agencies|

* Intelligence and Security Organization
* Intelligence Protection Organization

Academies|

* Imam Hossein University
* Baqiyatallah University of Medical Sciences
* Military Hospital
* University of Command and Staff

Media|

* Fars News Agency
* Tasnim News Agency
* Mashregh News
* Owj Arts and Media Organization

Economic branches|

* Cooperation Bonyad
* Khatam-al Anbiya
* Fater
* Imensazan
* Mobin
* SADRA

Category:Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps

Authority control databases

International|

* VIAF

National|

* Germany
* United States
* Israel

*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template
*[No.]: Number
*[Ref.]: Reference(s)
*[c.]: circa