The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) is a multi-service primary branch of the Iranian Armed Forces. It was established by Ruhollah Khomeini as a military branch in May 1979, in the aftermath of the Iranian Revolution. The IRGC is intended to complement the more traditional role of the regular Iranian military, with the two forces operating separately and focusing on different operational roles. The IRGC is a combined arms force with its own ground forces, navy, air force, intelligence, and special forces. It also controls the Basij militia, which is a volunteer-based force with 90,000 regular soldiers and 300,000 reservists. The IRGC has taken a greater role in nearly every aspect of Iranian politics and society, and it has become an industrial empire with political clout. The IRGC has gained an outsize role in executing Iran’s foreign policy and wields control over vast segments of the economy. The IRGC’s ties to armed groups in the region, such as Hezbollah in Lebanon, help Iran compensate for its relatively weak conventional military forces. The IRGC is also responsible for numerous attacks targeting Americans and U.S. facilities, including those that have killed U.S. citizens. The IRGC is designated as a Foreign Terrorist Organization by the U.S. Department of State and is subject to sanctions.