Basij Resistance Force

The Basij Resistance Force (Niroo-ye Moqavemat-e Basij) is a paramilitary volunteer militia subordinate to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. Founded by Ruhollah Khomeini in 1979, it played a prominent role in the Iran-Iraq War through human-wave assaults. It functions as an internal security and social control force, operating through mosques, universities, and government offices. It was centrally involved in the violent suppression of the Green Movement in 2009 and the Mahsa Amini protests in 2022.