The Quds Force of Iran: Exporting Radical Ideology and Terror
Iran has spent billions arming and training proxy groups throughout the Middle East and Africa via the Quds Force, which are collectively responsible for over a thousand American deaths.
June 24, 2025 Update: A video has surfaced appearing to show Esmail Qaani, dispelling his alleged assassination.
Last night, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) have, for the first time, struck the Quds Force Headquarters inside Iran—just days after the alleged killing of the elite unit’s commander, Esmail Qaani. The targeted strike places renewed focus on the Quds Force’s pivotal role in Iran’s military strategy and its influence across the Middle East.
As missiles rain down, the war between Israel and Iran has entered a new, dangerous phase, but the real battle isn’t just over weaponry, it’s over ideology. At the center is Iran’s Quds Force, the shadowy unit that has spent decades exporting Tehran’s vision to destroy both the United States and Israel through a web of proxy armies and the ideological radicalization of communities throughout the Middle East — women and kids included. From Gaza to Lebanon to Yemen, from Iraq to Syria to Afghanistan, its fingerprints are everywhere. With many asserting Israel is now at war with the head of the snake, the Quds Force is “the head of the head of the snake.”
Following the recent strike, the IDF posted on X that: “The IDF precisely struck command centers belonging to the Quds Force of the IRGC and the Iranian military. In these command centers, Quds operatives advanced terrorist attacks against the State of Israel using the proxies of the Iranian Regime in the Middle East.”
The Quds Force: Structure and Mandate
The Quds Force of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps(IRGC) is unique among Iran’s military and intelligence apparatus. It operates directly under the Supreme Leader, combining the roles of intelligence agency, paramilitary group, and foreign policy arm. Its primary mission is to “protect and spread” the values of the Islamic Revolution of Iran, a mission that has evolved from domestic security to global influence.
The Quds Force is responsible for coalition-building, arms training, and ideological indoctrination on behalf of Iran. Its reach is vast, spanning from the Middle East to Africa and beyond as a part of the efforts to expand the ideology of the Islamic Revolution.
Indoctrinating Iranians: The Domestic Testing Ground
Long before it began building terrorist proxy armies abroad, the organization was tasked with radicalizing society at home. After the 1979 Islamic Revolution, Iran was rife with dissent. The IRGC responded by establishing a network of civic institutions by which to indoctrinate loyalty to the Supreme Leader and the values of the Islamic Revolution.
These values include the glorification of jihad, the goal of eradicating the West, with America as enemy number one, establishing a world-wide caliphate, and the adoption of the Ayatollah’s interpretation of Islamic law—including controversial practices such as child marriage and mandatory veiling for women.
Through these institutions, the IRGC and it’s Quds Force launched wide-scale indoctrination campaigns, targeting all levels of civil society. Over time, these communities became breeding grounds for new recruits to the IRGC, the Quds Force, and others.
Funding and Training Terrorist Proxy Armies
Having perfected these methods at home, the Quds Force began exporting its model of radicalization abroad. In countries like Iraq, Lebanon, and Yemen, the organization has replicated its domestic strategy: funding not only armed groups but also social services that promote loyalty to the Iranian regime.
Throughout the Middle East, schools, civic institutions funded by the Quds Force serve as vehicles for ideological indoctrination and recruitment centers, creating a new generation of followers who are loyal to Tehran’s revolutionary vision- belief in exchange for bread. Creating the base for new terrorists in its proxy army and a unified belief system and enemy.
The Quds Force funds schools to indoctrinate children to believe in a caliphate with Iran’s Supreme Leader at the helm and the commitment to the Jihad necessary to get there. They are told the United States is “the Great Satan” standing in the way and “Death to America” becomes their universal battle cry.
Funding and Training Proxy Armies
This radicalization methodology readies the ground for regional military might, Iran’s strategy of “proxy warfare” is a hallmark of its foreign policy, and the Quds Force is in charge of this effort. The organization has spent billions of dollars arming and training terrorist proxy groups throughout Syria, Afghanistan, Iraq, Lebanon, Yemen, the Palestinian territories, and other areas throughout the world which are collectively responsible for thousands of American deaths.
As previously reported by Jewish Onliner:
“Iran and its proxy groups have killed at least 603 American troops in Iraq alone, largely through explosively formed penetrators (EFPs) and other lethal aid to Shia militias. Add to this the 241 Marines, sailors, and soldiers killed in the 1983 Beirut barracks bombing, the19 Airmen killed in the 1996 Khobar Towers bombing, and at least 32 Americans murdered by Hamas since October 2023, and the confirmed death toll climbs dramatically. Civilian deaths include victims of the 1983 and 1984 Beirut embassy bombings, and the 1985 hijacking of TWA Flight 847.”
In that regard, the Quds Force’s involvement with Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) has come under intense scrutiny. In September 2023, just weeks before the October 7th attack, over 500 top Hamas and PIJ operatives were in Iran for military exercises hosted by the Quds Force, who trained, funded, and armed these groups who carried out the massacre.
Quds Force Heads Eliminated and Headquarters Attacked
Qassem Soleimani, the former commander of Iran’s Quds Force, was a key architect of Iran’s dual influence plan across the Middle East. Soleimani’s death from a U.S. drone strike in January 2020 during President Trump’s first term, removed one of the most powerful figures behind Iran’s foreign policy, but he left behind a cult-like following throughout the Terror Axis he created.
Soleimani’s successor, Esmail Qaani, was expected to carry on his mission, but his recent elimination raises questions about Quds Force’s next steps. While Qaani may not have had Soleimani's level of recognition, his role was vital in maintaining Iran's influence. As news unfolds of the IDF attack last night on the Quds Force Headquarters in Tehran, the response of the terrorist army they created remains to be seen.