How Iran transformed from an Islamic Republic to a military dictatorship

The accession of Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei in early March completed a decades-long process, solidifying the transformation of the Islamic Republic of Iran from a theocracy into a de facto military dictatorship.

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps was founded as a sort of praetorian guard, intended to be only a few thousand strong, meant to safeguard the Islamic revolution. A combination of factors, including Iraq’s invasion in 1980, successes in Lebanon, sanctions, and most of all former Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s maneuvering to take and secure power, all contributed to transforming the Guards into a political, military, and economic juggernaut that de facto rules the country. Their absolute hold on power was solidified after Ali Khamenei’s death, when they were able to strong-arm their preferred candidate, Mojtaba Khamenei, through.

Professor Ali Alfoneh, a senior fellow at the Arab Gulf States Institute and expert on the Guards and succession politics in Iran,