US Measures aim at the heart of the Iranian Regime
By Walid Phares

After Andy Cochran's posting, here is a quick comment on the Designation of Iranian Entities and Individuals for Proliferation Activities and Support for Terrorism Today's documents revealing the US financial measures taken against Iran's military power hits the heart of the regime. The US official document can only be described as a master strategic strike into the financial web of the major power centers of the Iranian regime. See the full document. Following are three points:

The first organization, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), according to the document is "considered the military vanguard of Iran, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), is composed of five branches (Ground Forces, Air Force, Navy, Basij militia, and Qods Force special operations) in addition to a counterintelligence directorate and representatives of the Supreme Leader. It runs prisons, and has numerous economic interests involving defense production, construction, and the oil industry. Several of the IRGC's leaders have been sanctioned under UN Security Council Resolution 1747."

Point One: The Pasdaran is indeed the backbone of the regime. Compare it to a combined Communist Party, Militia and KGB during the peak of the Stalinist regime in the Soviet Union.

The second organization, the Ministry of Defense and Armed Forces Logistics (MODAFL): According to the report, "the Ministry of Defense and Armed Forces Logistics (MODAFL) controls the Defense Industries Organization, an Iranian entity identified in the Annex to UN Security Council Resolution 1737 and designated by the United States under E.O. 13382 on March 30, 2007. MODAFL also was sanctioned, pursuant to the Arms Export Control Act and the Export Administration Act, in November 2000 for its involvement in missile technology proliferation activities."

Point Two: This is Iran's Defense apparatus. Key positions are in the hands of hard core Khomeinists, but the majority of the military bodies are not necessarily part of the regime. The measures will have different effects on various sectors of the military. More analysis will be released in the near future on the projected impact.

Point Three: As important is the fact that, according to the report "MODAFL has ultimate authority over Iran's Aerospace Industries Organization (AIO), which was designated under E.O. 13382 on June 28, 2005. The AIO is the Iranian organization responsible for ballistic missile research, development and production activities and organizations, including the Shahid Hemmat Industries Group (SHIG) and the Shahid Bakeri Industries Group (SBIG), which were both listed under UN Security Council Resolution 1737 and designated under E.O. 13382."

Hence the measures are hitting the programs believed to be the home of the future Iranian ICBM systems. This report reveals important information about the entities involved in the build up. In a cross fire debate I was part of on al Jazeera a few weeks ago, I confronted an Iranian advisor on Iran National Security on the military nature of the nuclear program. He denied of course. But after I gave him few names of Admirals and Generals in charge of the program, (now on the long list issued by the US Government) he never responded on this point again.

I am expecting significant debates on the subject in the region but also important Iranian and Hezbollah reactions.

**Dr. Walid Phares, Director of the Future Terrorism Project at the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies

October 25, 2007 01:57 PM Print