IRGC's Readiness to Assist Government in Anti-Smuggling Efforts

Following Hassan Rouhani's remarks about the Supreme National Security Council's resolution for the IRGC to combat smuggling in the Persian Gulf, the IRGC spokesperson announced the military-security organization's readiness to "assist the government" in this area. According to IRNA, on Saturday, March 3, Ramadan Sharif stated that the IRGC, due to its "extensive and fluid presence along the maritime coasts," can provide "decisive assistance" in combating smuggling. He also announced that after the "notification of details and executive mechanisms" of the Supreme National Security Council's resolution to the General Staff of the Armed Forces, the IRGC Navy commander will provide further explanations on this matter in the near future. Hassan Rouhani, the President of Iran, announced on Thursday, March 1, during a visit to Hormozgan province, the Supreme National Security Council's resolution for the IRGC to combat smuggling in the Persian Gulf. Rouhani stated: "The responsibility for combating smuggling lies with the police, but recently in the Supreme National Security Council, we specified that in the Persian Gulf, the IRGC should also be responsible for combating smuggling, and this decision will certainly improve the conditions for combating smuggling compared to the past." The resolution of the Supreme National Security Council of Iran was passed while some political figures in Iran had previously pointed to the management of ports by the IRGC and police, implying that these two organizations were involved in smuggling goods. For instance, in 2011, after Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the then-President, used the term "our own smuggler brothers" in a speech, some experts speculated that this phrase referred to the IRGC. Although Mohammad Ali Jafari, the commander of the IRGC, dismissed these remarks and speculations as "diversionary issues." Rouhani also mentioned in February 2016, without naming any specific organization, that "a corrupt entity that... can bring in smuggled goods prevents the country from growing." However, it remained unclear which entity or organization Rouhani was referring to. Smuggling in Iran has become one of the most significant economic problems and symbols of "corruption," and Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the leader of the Islamic Republic, has called for the "burning" of smuggled goods in response to the continuation of this situation. Officials in Rouhani's government have stated that the volume of smuggling before this government was $25 billion annually, which has been reduced to half during this government. However, some government officials have expressed doubts about the accuracy of these statistics. For instance, Akbar Turkan, head of the Free Zones Organization of Iran, previously stated that the Anti-Smuggling Headquarters "said that $25 billion worth of smuggling enters the country to emphasize the importance of its work, while these figures are not based on accurate data." Besides the accusations regarding the IRGC's role in smuggling goods, the Lebanese Hezbollah group, which is also a military group supported by Iran, has been accused of involvement in drug trafficking. Currently, a fact-finding committee in the United States is investigating the actions of the previous government in relation to a project known as "Cassandra." Recently, the American publication Politico released a report stating that drug enforcement officials in the Barack Obama administration initiated a project to track Hezbollah's role in drug trafficking and other activities; however, as nuclear negotiations with Iran progressed, the Cassandra project faced obstacles and was ultimately halted. Nevertheless, Hassan Nasrallah, the Secretary-General of Hezbollah, described the accusations regarding this group's potential involvement in drug trafficking and money laundering as "baseless" and denied them.