Boroujerdi: Special Patrol Plan of the IRGC Does Not Require Approval from the Supreme National Security Council

Despite the Ministry of Interior's opposition to the formation of 'special' patrols by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), the head of the National Security and Foreign Policy Commission of the Parliament announced that the implementation of these patrols has precedent and 'does not require a resolution from the Supreme National Security Council.' Aladdin Boroujerdi stated on Saturday, December 16, in an interview with the House of the Nation website, affiliated with the Parliament, that the police have previously used Basij forces 'for security assistance in emergency situations,' and this is 'not new at all.' He emphasized that the implementation of this patrol plan 'does not require the approval of the Supreme National Security Council.' On Sunday, December 10, Mohammad Reza Yazdi, the commander of the IRGC in Tehran province, emphasized that 'social earthquakes' are occurring in Tehran and announced that this organization will soon launch 'special patrols' to 'prevent theft and combat thugs.' The next day, Salman Samani, the spokesperson for the Ministry of Interior, stated that this matter falls under the duties of the police force, and this force has not 'requested assistance or participation from any organization.' While the commander of the IRGC in Tehran announced that the aim of these patrols is to 'prevent theft' and combat 'thugs,' reports indicate that some previous plans under this name were aimed at preparing for potential street protests. For instance, Mostafa Ahmadinejad, the former commander of the police force, acknowledged in an interview in 2015 that this force had organized plans under the guise of combating 'thugs' and 'peace and security' a year before the 2009 presidential election to counter potential protests. Before the IRGC's plan to establish 'special patrols,' Gholamhossein Ghaibparvar, the head of the Basij Organization, also announced on November 15 the plan of this organization to establish 'neighborhood patrols.' Meanwhile, reports indicate that the implementation of this plan began in early December in some provinces of Iran, including Fars and Isfahan. Mohammad Reza Rajabi, the operations deputy of the Fajr IRGC in Fars, announced that more than 10,000 Basij forces will operate in 2,000 patrol groups in this province. According to Mr. Rajabi, these patrols will be conducted in groups of three to five people, both on foot and by vehicle. The newspaper Etemad also compared the formation of Basij neighborhood patrols to the activities of the Revolutionary Committees in the early years of the 1979 Revolution and the 1980s. The Revolutionary Committees in the 1980s dealt with issues such as the distribution of music tapes, video films, home parties, and political opponents of the Islamic Republic government.