IRGC

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps is Iran's dominant force militarily, politically, and economically, but there is growing pressure for its armed wing to merge with the Iranian armed forces

The IRGC doesn't just defend the state, it runs it. To wave the white flag wouldn't just mean giving up its arms; it would mean dismantling the organisation and its patronage networks.

Security is the name of the game in Iran these days, and a small huddle of men steeped in the defence of the regime are now seen as central to decision-making in the absence of a visible cleric.

Tehran's spies and generals built an impressive network of eyes and ears from Mount Lebanon to the Hindu Kush. In a game of cat-and-mouse, they always seemed two moves ahead. Not so now.

Israel targets Iranian sovereign territory and wipes out some of the Islamic Republic's most senior generals, virtually guaranteeing a response. The nature of that response will reveal a lot.

Across MENA, the proliferation of militias combines corruption, smuggling, looting, intimidation, and parasitism to swell their coffers at the expense of state treasuries.