The Imperial Guard of Iran (), also known as Imperial Guard (), was both the personal guard force of

Mohammad Reza Pahlavi Mohammad Reza Pahlavi (26 October 1919 – 27 July 1980) was the last List of monarchs of Iran, Shah of Iran, ruling from 1941 to 1979. He succeeded his father Reza Shah and ruled the Imperial State of Iran until he was overthrown by the ...

, the last

Shah Shāh (; ) is a royal title meaning "king" in the Persian language.Yarshater, Ehsa, ''Iranian Studies'', vol. XXII, no. 1 (1989) Though chiefly associated with the monarchs of Iran, it was also used to refer to the leaders of numerous Per ...

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) and also known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It borders Iraq to the west, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Armenia to the northwest, the Caspian Sea to the north, Turkmenistan to the nort ...

, and an elite combat branch of the

Imperial Iranian Army The Islamic Republic of Iran Army (), acronymed AJA (), commonly simplified as the Iranian Army, is the conventional military of Iran and part of the Islamic Republic of Iran Armed Forces. It is tasked to protect the territorial integrity of th ...

. It was created in 1942 and disbanded in 1979 following the

Iranian Revolution The Iranian Revolution (, ), also known as the 1979 Revolution, or the Islamic Revolution of 1979 (, ) was a series of events that culminated in the overthrow of the Pahlavi dynasty in 1979. The revolution led to the replacement of the Impe ...

. It was named after the Immortals, an elite unit of 10,000

Persian Persian may refer to: * People and things from Iran, historically called ''Persia'' in the English language ** Persians, the majority ethnic group in Iran, not to be conflated with the Iranic peoples ** Persian language, an Iranian language of the ...

soldiers in the

army An army, ground force or land force is an armed force that fights primarily on land. In the broadest sense, it is the land-based military branch, service branch or armed service of a nation or country. It may also include aviation assets by ...

of the

Achaemenid Empire The Achaemenid Empire or Achaemenian Empire, also known as the Persian Empire or First Persian Empire (; , , ), was an Iranian peoples, Iranian empire founded by Cyrus the Great of the Achaemenid dynasty in 550 BC. Based in modern-day Iran, i ...

Origins

In 1921 a Persian Royal Guard was in existence comprising 20,000 men. A Guard Division was raised in 1925 by

Reza Shah Reza Shah Pahlavi born Reza Khan (15 March 1878 – 26 July 1944) was shah of Iran from 1925 to 1941 and founder of the roughly 53 years old Pahlavi dynasty. Originally a military officer, he became a politician, serving as minister of war an ...

, incorporating both cavalry and infantry units. The Imperial Guard was subsequently formed in 1942 from 700 volunteers. It was originally designed and organized by General Jafar Shafaghat. The division was modeled after the French

Republican Guard A republican guard, sometimes called a national guard, is a state organization of a country (often a republic, hence the name ''Republican'') which typically serves to protect the head of state and the government, and thus is often synonymous wit ...

and the British Household Cavalry and foot guards. In 1953 the unit was expanded in size to a division under General

Teymur Bakhtiar Teymur Bakhtiar (; 1914 – 12 August 1970) was an Iranian military officer and intelligence chief who was the founder and head of SAVAK from 1956 to 1961 when he was dismissed by Mohammad Reza Pahlavi. In 1970, he was assassinated by SAVAK agen ...

. In 1972 the Lashkari Guard Division was incorporated in the Imperial Guard together with a Conscript Brigade, expanding the Guard to a full corps of two divisions.

Structure

Javidan Guard

The core of the Imperial Guard was the all volunteer ''Javidan Guard'' (''Gârd e Jâvidân'',

: Guard), better known as the after the ancient

royal guard or Persian Guard. The "Immortals" were based in the Lavizan Barracks in northern

Tehran Tehran (; , ''Tehrân'') is the capital and largest city of Iran. It is the capital of Tehran province, and the administrative center for Tehran County and its Central District (Tehran County), Central District. With a population of around 9. ...

. By 1978 this elite force comprised a

brigade A brigade is a major tactical military unit, military formation that typically comprises three to six battalions plus supporting elements. It is roughly equivalent to an enlarged or reinforced regiment. Two or more brigades may constitute ...

of 4,000–5,000 men, including a

battalion A battalion is a military unit, typically consisting of up to one thousand soldiers. A battalion is commanded by a lieutenant colonel and subdivided into several Company (military unit), companies, each typically commanded by a Major (rank), ...

of Chieftain tanks. It was responsible for the internal and external security of the royal palaces. A special plain-clothes unit was called Ma'mourin Makhsous (''Special Agents'') Prior to the 1967 Imperial Coronation a Pahlavi Cavalry Guard was formed, giving the Guard a Household Cavalry type mounted escort unit for ceremonial occasions. According to differing accounts this detachment was 30 to 50-strong. The last Commanding Officer of the Royal Guard was Lieutenant-Colonel Yusufi.

Main Imperial Guard

By the late 1970s the entire Imperial Guard (including conscripts outside the Javidan units) was 18,000 strong, with artillery, armored and helicopter units. The entire Guard comprised some 6% of the army, and were the only troops stationed permanently in the capital

Recruitment

A recruit to the Imperial Guard had to pass a series of proficiency tests, varying in subjects and difficulty. Reportedly one of the prerequisites for initiation was to be able to recite one's family history back for 23 generations from memory alone.

Uniforms and insignia

Imperial Guard units were distinguished by

salmon Salmon (; : salmon) are any of several list of commercially important fish species, commercially important species of euryhaline ray-finned fish from the genera ''Salmo'' and ''Oncorhynchus'' of the family (biology), family Salmonidae, native ...

(light red) coloured insignia. The Pahlavi Cavalry Guard had special blue and red ceremonial uniforms, including silver cuirasses and crested helmets.

Islamic Revolution

The Imperial Guard remained loyal to

until his departure for exile in January 1979. After two days of fighting from the 9th through 11 February, against armed civilians and dissident

Air Force An air force in the broadest sense is the national military branch that primarily conducts aerial warfare. More specifically, it is the branch of a nation's armed services that is responsible for aerial warfare as distinct from an army aviati ...

and

Army An army, ground force or land force is an armed force that fights primarily on land. In the broadest sense, it is the land-based military branch, service branch or armed service of a nation or country. It may also include aviation assets by ...

personnel, the Imperial Guard was withdrawn to its bases. The Guard was disbanded on 17 February 1979. The Javidan Guard was formally dissolved by the new Iranian regime, although some portions of the wider Imperial Guard remained in existence. These remaining units were stripped of their historical privileges and duties and integrated into the

Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), also known as the Iranian Revolutionary Guards, is a multi-service primary branch of the Islamic Republic of Iran Armed Forces, Iranian Armed Forces. It was officially established by Ruhollah Khom ...

of the regular

Islamic Republic of Iran Army Ground Forces The Islamic Republic of Iran Army Ground Forces (, ''Niruye Zaminiye Arteše Jomhuriye Eslâmiye Irân''), acronymed NEZAJA (, NEZAJA) are the ground forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran Army. In Iran, it is also called ''Artesh,'' () which i ...

. They saw action in the

Iran–Iraq War The Iran–Iraq War, also known as the First Gulf War, was an armed conflict between Iran and Iraq that lasted from September 1980 to August 1988. Active hostilities began with the Iraqi invasion of Iran and lasted for nearly eight years, unti ...

Commanders

The last commander of the Imperial Guard at the time of the 1979 Iranian Revolution was Lieutenant General Ali Neshat. One of the former Guard commanders was General Gholam Ali Oveisi (1960–1965). One of the original commanders, General Jafar Shafaghat, during the last months prior to the fall of the monarchy in 1979 was appointed by the Shah as the minister of defense (the literal translation of this post from

is minister of war) under

Shapour Bakhtiar Shapour Bakhtiar (, ; 26 June 19146 August 1991) was an Iranian politician who served as the last Prime Minister of Iran under the rule of Mohammad Reza Pahlavi. In the words of the historian Abbas Milani: "more than once in the tone of a jere ...

Cabinet until the fall of the government. Commanders of the unit were: * Capt. Jafar Shafaghat and Capt. Bayandor (commanders of two rival companies with rotating responsibility) * 2nd Col. Iraj Mahvi (two companies unified and expanded to a brigade) * Abbas Gharabaghi (a new "special guard" was created under his command) * Amirgholi Zargham * Col.

Nematollah Nassiri Nematollah Nassiri (; 4 August 1910 – 15 February 1979) was an Iranian military officer who served as the director of SAVAK, the Iranian intelligence agency during the rule of Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi. He was also the Ambassador of Iran to ...

(1951–65) * Maj. Gen Abdol Ali Badrei (1974–79) * Maj. Gen. Ali Neshat (1979)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Imperial Guard 1942 establishments in Iran 1979 disestablishments in Iran Organisations of the Iranian Revolution

Guard Guard or guards may refer to: Professional occupations * Bodyguard, who protects an individual from personal assault * Crossing guard, who stops traffic so pedestrians can cross the street * Lifeguard, who rescues people from drowning * Prison gu ...

Former guards regiments Royal guards Military units and formations disestablished in 1979