Any agreement that is reached with the current government is meaningless because they do not control the IRGC. The IRGC has revenue streams from ports on the Arabian Sea and Kharg Island. I have been watching Imam Khomeini Port Special Economic Zone for several weeks. Foodstuffs, fuel oils, electronics, and other necessary items are delivered to this port, which the IRGC controls. For high-value targets, it’s the Holy Grail. It has a power plant, factories, a desalination plant, hundreds of trucks, and two railroad hubs. The IRGC’s zeal outstrips Germany’s Nazis’ zeal tenfold.
Imam Khomeini Port Special Economic Zone must be destroyed, and Kharg Island must be either destroyed or occupied by U.S. forces to defeat the IRGC.
Imam Khomeini Port Special Economic Zone
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) operates as a parallel state with a vast, opaque economic empire that funds its military operations, regional proxies, missile/drone programs, and internal repression. Estimates of its control over Iran’s economy range from 30% to over 50% of GDP (with some older claims reaching 60-80% in key sectors). This empire is built on no-bid contracts, front companies, sanctions evasion, smuggling, and “foundations” (bonyads) that function as semi-private monopolies.
- Khatam al-Anbiya Construction Headquarters — The IRGC’s flagship engineering and construction arm. It dominates massive infrastructure projects, including:
- Oil/gas refineries, pipelines, dams, railways, and ports.
- Major energy projects (e.g., South Pars phases, Persian Gulf Star refinery).
- Non-competitive contracts worth tens of billions (one 2018-2019 period alone involved ~$22-28 billion in projects).
- It also controls Tehran’s Imam Khomeini International Airport and has built roads, tunnels, and water systems.
- Ports and Logistics — The IRGC exerts heavy influence over key ports, especially in the south:
- Imam Khomeini Port Special Economic Zone (Bandar-e Imam Khomeini, near Kharg Island): A critical hub for imports of foodstuffs, fuel oils, electronics, and other goods. It features a power plant, factories, a desalination plant, rail/road hubs, and hundreds of trucks. Your screenshot and observations align with reports of it serving as a lifeline for regime logistics and IRGC-controlled revenue.
- Kharg Island: Iran’s primary oil export terminal (historically handling ~90% of crude exports). Heavily guarded by IRGC Navy units. Strikes have targeted military sites there, but oil infrastructure has been largely spared so far. Controlling or destroying Kharg would starve the IRGC of massive oil revenue.
- Oil, Smuggling, and Shadow Fleet — Oil exports (much via the shadow fleet tankers with AIS turned off) remain a key revenue source, often routed to China. The IRGC benefits directly or indirectly through affiliates, front companies, and sanctions-evasion networks. Smuggling (oil, fuel, narcotics, weapons) generates additional billions. Iraqi networks have also been used for fuel oil swaps and disguised exports.
- Other Sectors:
- Banking, telecommunications, agriculture, real estate, mining, pharmaceuticals, and construction.
- “Foundations” and cooperatives that act as monopolies.
- Crypto, front companies, and illicit trade to bypass sanctions.
Published by Editor, Sammy Campbell.