150,000 troops, 2,500 missiles and its own navy and air force: this is the Revolutionary Guard, which ruthlessly suppresses protests in Iran

The fact that Iranian Ayatollah Khamenei (86) is still in power is thanks to the Revolutionary Guards. Specialized in the bloody suppression of popular protests – with more than 500 deaths to its credit in recent days – but above all a feared ‘state’ within the state. “The chance that the Guard will side with the Iranian people is nil,” says Middle East expert Koert Debeuf (VUB). “In the event of a revolution, the Guards would immediately lose everything themselves.”

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