Basij Eyes Expansion outside Iran

Coinciding with the dissolution of Basij’s leadership into the Revolutionary Guards, one of supreme leader’s representatives in the Basij announced that the organization plans to “establish branches outside the country.” The Basij is a para-military organization based on volunteers.

Speaking to a group of Basiji activists in Mashhad, supreme leader’s representative Mehdi Abedi said, “Today, in response to requests by other countries, we are ready to establish Basij in their land in order to propagate the Basiji mentality and culture.”

Abedi added, “Today, the enemy’s main tactic for overthrowing the regime is to instigate a cultural invasion, and so this is the most dangerous threat to the country.” Abedi continued, “Today, cultural invasion is extremely threatening to the country and most of the activities are undertaken by Americans and Wahabis,” a reference to the brand of Sunni Muslims in Saudi Arabia.

Abedi’s comments come a day after the newly appointed head of Revolutionary Guards, Commander Mohammad Ali Jafari, announced that he would “personally” lead the Basij from now on. Citing direct orders from the supreme leader Ali Khamenei, Jafari elaborated that the Basij will overtake “half of the Guards’ responsibilities.”

During last week’s Friday prayers, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei addressed the possibility of a U.S. military strike against Iran. According to Ayatollah Khamenei, although this “possibility” is weak, it must be taken seriously.

As the supreme leader was asking the public to take the “possibility” of a U.S. attack seriously, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and other Islamic Republic officials continued to deny the possibility of such an attack.

According to sources inside Iran, the recent changes in the structure of the Basij and the Guards, and the Basij’s new responsibility of maintaining internal security, reveal the Islamic Republic’s increasing fear of a possible U.S. strike. Thus, while the Basij organization is strengthened inside the country, branches will be established outside Iran in accordance with the theory of “asymmetric warfare,” which has been referenced repeatedly by the new Guards leadership.

In his latest speech, Commander Jafari identified Basij as an extremely important and effective weapon against enemy aggression. Jafari noted, “The strategy of the Guards is drafted in conformity with the conditions of the time. Progress requires new outlooks, a point that is well-attended to in the Guards.”