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Iran's Revolutionary Guards Wrestle with New Reality after Death of Gen. Soleimani
(Washington Post) Erin Cunningham and Steve Hendrix - "The assassination of Qasem Soleimani and the downing of the [Ukrainian] airliner were both shocks to the Revolutionary Guard. Soleimani was a big loss for the Islamic republic, and the downing of the airliner, it blew the Guard's entire credibility," said Prof. Saeid Golkar, an expert on Iran at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. The IRGC "has to rebrand and rebuild its reputation, which takes time, especially with a population that has grown critical of the Islamic republic." The new commander of the IRGC Quds Force, Soleimani's deputy, Brig.-Gen. Ismail Qaani, 62, had been responsible for Quds Force operations on Iran's eastern borders, including in Afghanistan and Central Asian republics. Still, analysts and officials say he lacks the ambition, charisma and strong connections of his predecessor.