ERBIL, Kurdistan Region— A founder of the Iranian elite Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), has said that Tehran is willing to assist the Iraqi government to establish its own revolutionary guard force.Mohsen Rafighdoost announced during an interview with the Iranian club of journalists on Tuesday that the elite troops could defend Iraq against what he called “tensions and instabilities.”“The revolutionary guards have been successful on the international arena and have the potential to become a good model for the countries in the region,” Rafighdoost said.The Revolutionary Guards have been a key supporter of the Iraqi army’s efforts against Islamic State (ISIS) militants in the country and helped establish the Shiite-majority paramilitary militia known as the Hashd Al-Shaabi, which has over 100,000 recruits.General Qasem Soleimani, a prominent leader within the Guards extraterritorial Quds Force has been advising Shiite militias in Iraq and Syria in recent years and has actively taken part in several offensives in both countries.

The Revolutionary Guards, which has vast economic monopolies in Iran, have been repeatedly subjected by US and international economic sanctions. The US charges them with sponsoring terrorist acts and groups in the Middle East.



Rafighdoost helped found the IRGC and served as minister of the organization from 1982 until 1989.