Current sectionMiddle East NewsIran NewsThe IRGC's empire spans Iran's infrastructure, energy, telecoms and shipping sectors, embedding the force deep inside the economy and positioning it to capture sanctions relief. 'The IRGC is the entity pulling all the strings behind the oil sector,' a former U.S. sanctions investigator saidShare to FacebookShare to XArticle printing is available to subscribers onlyPrint in a simple, ad-free formatSubscribeComments: Zen reading is available to subscribers onlyAd-free and in a comfortable reading formatSubscribeReuters12:07 AM • June 21 2026 IDTEmerging outlines of a deal between Washington and Tehran to end their war contain a stinging paradox: sweeteners to coax Iran into compliance may strengthen an adversarial force that the U.S. and its Western allies consider a terrorist organisation.Loading...Click the alert icon to follow topics:Iran - U.S.Middle East oilIran sanctionsIran Revolutionary GuardsCommentsLoading...In the NewsIn the News: Israel-Iran Live UpdatesU.S.-Iran DealElectionsIsrael-U.S.NetanyahuJD VanceHaQuizHaaretz PodcastReform Jews Praise Netanyahu Backtrack on Far-right Aide for NY Consul General20 Protesters Arrested at Iranian Opposition Rally in ParisIDF Names Two Israeli Soldiers Killed in Separate Southern Lebanon IncidentsHundreds of Israelis Protest Against Netanyahu Government Amid Lebanon FightingIran Says Strait of Hormuz Closed Over U.S. Violations, IDF Strikes in LebanonRemembering and rebuilding two years laterICYMIHumiliated by Trump on the Iran Front, Netanyahu May Set the Middle East AblazeIsrael Is Conducting a Systematic Campaign of Ethnic Cleansing in the West Bank'Once-in-a-lifetime Discovery': 1,700-year-old Roman Busts Found in IsraelTrump and Netanyahu Hurtling Toward a Rupture That Could Shock U.S.-Israel TiesNetanyahu's Mouthpieces Turn on Trump, Revealing a Deeper Israeli IngratitudeIsrael Is Bleeding Support in U.S. and Pouring Tens of Millions to Change That