ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the role of the Sepah in Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) politics by analysing the Sepah's involvement in political security matters and factional politics. It provides an overview of, and context for, the Sepah's involvement in politics from the revolutionary period to the Mohammad Khatami administration. The chapter discusses any challenge to the delicate balance caused the Sepah to confront Mahmoud Ahmadinejad because of their competition for power and influence before the Supreme Leader. The Sepah plays an assertive political role in the forthcoming elections of the IRI at times, mainly through the appointment of Sepah commanders to various directorates in the Ministry of the Interior and through the involvement of the Basij in mobilising voters. The rise of securitisation and the garrison state, uncovered fissures among the Usulgarayan and revealed the tension between the Sepah and the government in the post-2009 military-backed regime.
