Iran's Revolutionary Guard has become a powerful force within the country's theocracy, answering only to the supreme leader. The European Union moved on Thursday to declare the Guard a terrorist organization over its role in the recent crackdown on protests across Iran. The Guard was born out of Iran’s 1979 Islamic Revolution and steadily grew in power, especially after the Iran-Iraq war in the 1980s. Its Quds Force has been key in supporting groups like Lebanese militant Hezbollah group and Yemen's Houthi rebels. The Guard also operates its own intelligence services and has been involved in arrests of foreigners. The force is crucial in suppressing protests in Iran.
