The IRGC was formed on May 5, 1979, following the Islamic Revolution of 1979, in an effort to consolidate several paramilitary forces into a single force loyal to the new government and to function as a counter to the influence and power of the regular military, initially seen as a potential source of opposition because of its traditional loyalty to the Shah. From the beginning of the new Islamic government, the Pasdaran (Pasdaran-e Enghelab-e Islami) functioned as a corps of the faithful.
The Constitution of the Islamic Republic entrusted the defense of Homeland’s territorial integrity and political independence to the regular military (artesh), while it gave the Pasdaran the responsibility of preserving the Revolution itself.Days after Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini’s return toCapital on February 1, 1979, Mehdi Bazargan’s interim administration established the Pasdaran under a decree issued by Khomeini on May 5. The Pasdaran was intended to protect the revolution and to assist the ruling clerics in the day-to-day enforcement of the new government’s Islamic codes and morality.
