Budapest Post

Cum Deo pro Patria et Libertate
Budapest, Europe and world news

Leaked recordings reveal IRGC soldiers’ ‘doubt and confusion’ over protest crackdown

Leaked recordings reveal IRGC soldiers’ ‘doubt and confusion’ over protest crackdown

Members of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps are feeling “doubt and confusion” after nearly six months of anti-regime protests, senior officers have said.
Compounding this sense of frustration is their pay, The Times reported on Friday. The salaries of IRGC soldiers are a quarter of their counterparts in Lebanon’s Hezbollah forces, Iran’s most powerful Middle East proxy, according to sources.

The IRGC has brutally cracked down on the demonstrations that have swept Iran following the death in police custody of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini in September last year, for not wearing her hijab correctly.

The crackdown has seen 528 civilians killed and tens of thousands imprisoned.

Some 70 IRGC soldiers have died during the unrest, The Times said.

Adding to the force’s frustration, sources say, is the fact salaries paid to IRGC soldiers are a quarter of those granted to their Lebanese counterparts in Hezbollah.

Documents seen by The Times show a guard earns $300 a month, while average pay in Hezbollah is around $1,300.

With the Iranian economy under huge strain, inflation has exacerbated the problem, and a source told The Times: “While Hezbollah militants get richer, the Iranian public is hitting rock bottom.

“It is a painful difference for the IRGC forces who have been on the front line for all these months. They feel undervalued and underpaid.”

Gen. Qassem Qureshi, deputy commander of the Basij paramilitary, a religious militia within the IRGC, told journalists that “a huge fraction of the revolutionary forces on the streets are experiencing doubt and confusion,” leaked recordings revealed.

Morteza Abbaszadeh, an Iranian defense reporter, said: “These young men were simply seeking stable jobs, but many of them could never have imagined this is what they were getting themselves into.

“They live in isolated housing so they conceal what they are really doing from their families, who prefer to believe they are away performing duties such as guarding critical installations such as power plants and governors’ offices.”

Despite running businesses worth billions of dollars, ranging from oil and gas to construction, the way IRGC money is spent is not made available to the public.

Mardo Sorghum, an economic analyst, said: “Nobody knows where all this proxy funding such as Hezbollah comes from, the weapons research, the money going to Iraq and Syria.

“It’s all hidden from the budget and, in turn, the Iranian people.”
AI Disclaimer: An advanced artificial intelligence (AI) system generated the content of this page on its own. This innovative technology conducts extensive research from a variety of reliable sources, performs rigorous fact-checking and verification, cleans up and balances biased or manipulated content, and presents a minimal factual summary that is just enough yet essential for you to function as an informed and educated citizen. Please keep in mind, however, that this system is an evolving technology, and as a result, the article may contain accidental inaccuracies or errors. We urge you to help us improve our site by reporting any inaccuracies you find using the "Contact Us" link at the bottom of this page. Your helpful feedback helps us improve our system and deliver more precise content. When you find an article of interest here, please look for the full and extensive coverage of this topic in traditional news sources, as they are written by professional journalists that we try to support, not replace. We appreciate your understanding and assistance.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
IMF Upgrades Global Growth Forecast as Weaker Dollar Supports Outlook
House Republicans Move to Defund OECD Over Global Tax Dispute
France Opens Criminal Investigation into X Over Algorithm Manipulation Allegations
Trump Steamrolls EU in Landmark Trade Win: US–EU Trade Deal Imposes 15% Tariff on European Imports
ChatGPT CEO Sam Altman says people share personal info with ChatGPT but don’t know chats can be used as court evidence in legal cases.
Intel Reports Revenue Beats but Sees 81% Rise in Losses
Politics is a good business: Barack Obama’s Reported Net Worth Growth, 1990–2025
UN's Top Court Declares Environmental Protection a Legal Obligation Under International Law
"Crazy Thing": OpenAI's Sam Altman Warns Of AI Voice Fraud Crisis In Banking
The Podcaster Who Accidentally Revealed He Earns Over $10 Million a Year
UK Government Considers Dropping Demand for Apple Encryption Backdoor
Japanese Man Discovers Family Connection Through DNA Testing After Decades of Separation
Russia Signals Openness to Ukraine Peace Talks Amid Escalating Drone Warfare
Switzerland Implements Ban on Mammography Screening
Pogacar Extends Dominance with Stage Fifteen Triumph at Tour de France
President Trump Diagnosed with Chronic Venous Insufficiency After Leg Swelling
CEO Resigns Amid Controversy Over Relationship with HR Executive
NVIDIA Achieves $4 Trillion Valuation Amid AI Demand
Tulsi Gabbard Unveils Evidence Alleging Political Manipulation of Intelligence During Trump Administration
Centrist Criticism of von der Leyen Resurfaces as she Survives EU Confidence Vote
Trump Announces Coca-Cola to Shift to Cane Sugar in U.S. Production
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
Zelensky Reshuffles Cabinet to Win Support at Home and in Washington
"Can You Hit Moscow?" Trump Asked Zelensky To Make Putin "Feel The Pain"
Church of England Removes 1991 Sexuality Guidelines from Clergy Selection
Superman Franchise Achieves Success with Latest Release
Hungary's Viktor Orban Rejects Agreements on Illegal Migration
Air India Pilot’s Mental Health Records Under Scrutiny
Jamie Dimon Warns Europe Is Losing Global Competitiveness and Flags Market Complacency
Moonshot AI Unveils Kimi K2: A New Open-Source AI Model
Martha Wells Says Humanity Still Far from True Artificial Intelligence
Nvidia Becomes World’s First Four‑Trillion‑Dollar Company Amid AI Boom
EU Delays Retaliatory Tariffs Amid New U.S. Threats on Imports
Trump Proposes Supplying Arms to Ukraine Through NATO Allies
US Opens First Rare Earth Mine in Over 70 Years in Wyoming
Bitcoin Reaches New Milestone of $116,000
Severe Heatwave Claims 2,300 Lives Across Europe
Declining Beer Consumption Signals Cultural Shift in Germany
Emails Leaked: How Passenger Luggage Became a Side Income for Airport Workers
Polish MEP: “Dear Leftists - China is laughing at you, Russia is laughing, India is laughing”
Western Europe Records Hottest June on Record
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
China’s Central Bank Consults European Peers on Low-Rate Strategies
France Requests Airlines to Cut Flights at Paris Airports Amid Planned Air Traffic Controller Strike
Poland Implements Border Checks Amid Growing Migration Tensions
Emirates Airline Expands Market Share with New $20 Million Campaign
Amazon Reaches Milestone with Deployment of One Millionth Robot
Yulia Putintseva Calls for Spectator Ejection at Wimbledon Over Safety Concerns
House Oversight Committee Subpoenas Former Jill Biden Aide Amid Investigation into Alleged Concealment of President Biden's Cognitive Health
×