IRGC Quds Force (Niru-ye Qods)

The Quds Force (Niru-ye Qods; “Jerusalem Force”) is the IRGC’s external operations branch, responsible for extraterritorial military and intelligence operations, proxy force management, and unconventional warfare. It is the primary instrument through which Iran projects power across the Middle East and beyond, managing a network of state and non-state partners that Western analysts collectively term Iran’s “Axis of Resistance.”

Post-Soleimani Leadership

The US killing of Major General Qasem Soleimani in January 2020 removed the most consequential Quds Force commander in the organization’s history. Soleimani had personally managed relationships with proxy leaders across the region, operating with an authority that blurred the line between military commander and diplomatic envoy. His successor, Brigadier General Esmail Qaani, previously headed the Quds Force’s Afghanistan/Pakistan department. Assessments of Qaani’s tenure are mixed — he lacks Soleimani’s personal relationships and charismatic authority, and some analysts assess that the Quds Force has become more institutionalized and less personality-driven under his command. Others note operational continuity, suggesting the proxy network’s infrastructure survived the leadership transition.

Theater Commands and Proxy Network

The Quds Force organizes its operations by geographic theater. The Iraq department manages relationships with Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF/Hashd al-Shaabi) factions, particularly Kata’ib Hezbollah, Asaib Ahl al-Haq, and Badr Organization. The Syria/Lebanon department coordinates with Lebanese Hezbollah — assessed as the most capable non-state military force in the Middle East — and managed the deployment of Shia militia forces to support the Assad government during the Syrian civil war. The Yemen department provides materiel, training, and targeting support to Ansar Allah (Houthis), including the transfer of ballistic missile and drone technology. Smaller departments cover Afghanistan/Pakistan (Fatemiyoun and Zainabiyoun brigades) and an expanding Africa portfolio.

Operational Methods

Quds Force operations span a spectrum from diplomatic liaison to direct action. Core competencies include: arms smuggling via land, sea, and air routes; training and advising proxy forces; providing intelligence, surveillance, and targeting data; financial transfers through informal banking networks; and, in select cases, direct planning and execution of terrorist attacks or assassinations. The organization maintains a sophisticated logistics network for moving weapons — including ballistic missile components, anti-tank guided missiles, explosively formed penetrators, and drone technology — to proxy forces across multiple borders.

Strategic Assessment

The Quds Force gives Iran strategic reach far exceeding what its conventional military could achieve. By operating through proxies, Iran maintains plausible deniability while threatening adversaries across the region. The assessed cost-effectiveness is striking: for a fraction of the defense budget, the Quds Force creates multi-front pressure on Israel, threatens Gulf Arab states, and maintains leverage in Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, and Yemen simultaneously. This proxy architecture represents Iran’s most significant asymmetric advantage and the primary reason Western and regional planners treat Iran as a challenge disproportionate to its conventional military capability.