ABSTRACT
The Sepah has a broadly defined role as 'the Guardian of the Revolution and its achievements'. This chapter examines the Sepah's leading role in politics, the economy and foreign policy in the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI). It discusses the Sepah's links with Iran's political elite, along with its interactions and encounters with the constellations of social and political actors, with an emphasis on post-Khomeini Iran. The chapter draws on the concept of 'securitisation', introduced by the Copenhagen School of International Relations, to provide insights into the Sepah's mounting influence in defining the national security of the IRI. After Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's presidency and the Sepah's empowerment in Iran's political system, the discourse of securitisation found practice in Iran's regional and nuclear policies, and expanded the Sepah's influence in Iran's foreign policy. The chapter also looks at the Sepah's unique economic position, manifested in its involvement in the national economy and its access to the state's distribution of rent.
