The Revolutionary Gaurds Amass Power while Backing Ahmadinejad
Bloomberg / Kambiz Foroohar and Henry Meyer
28-Jun-2009

Iran’s Revolutionary Guards, whose forces helped President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad suppress street protests over his disputed re-election, may be among the biggest winners as he moves to consolidate power. A guards-controlled paramilitary force called the Basij, as well as police, violently quelled protests by supporters of presidential candidate Mir Hossein Mousavi, who said Ahmadinejad’s re-election was rigged. Seventeen demonstrators and eight Basij died in the protests, according to state-run media. Guards officials, having backed Ahmadinejad, may now cement their economic power, said Alireza Nader, an analyst at the Rand Corp. in Arlington, Virginia. They already control more than 100 companies in the construction, real estate and energy industries, he said

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