|
Trending Topics
|
Why Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Backs a Nuclear Deal: It’s Just Business
(Christian Science Monitor) Scott Peterson - Iran’s Revolutionary Guard, the most powerful branch of Iran's military, is known for its fierce rhetoric, for supporting fellow Shiite Muslims across the Middle East, and for challenging American and Israeli regional influence by any means possible. So why is the Guard supporting an emerging deal? Domestically, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) wields substantial political influence and controls a multi-billion dollar business empire that accounts for at least one-tenth of Iran’s economy, and perhaps much more. Years of managing lucrative companies have created a more flexible business-first mentality, offsetting its ideological orientation. For the IRGC, support for a deal may be about money and preserving post-deal political influence.