Army of The Guardians of The Islamic Revolution - Terminology

Terminology

In Iran, due to the frequent use of referencing government organizations with one word names (that generally denote their function) as opposed to acronyms or shortened versions, the entire general populace universally refer to the organization as Sepāh (Army). Although Artesh means army as well, Sepāh has a connotation of security. By contrast Artesh has a more militaristic meaning and is therefore used to refer to the general Armed Forces. The Iranian Government, media, and those who identify with the organization generally use Sepāh e Pāsdārān (Army of Guardians), although it is not uncommon to hear Pāsdārān e Enqelāb (پاسداران انقلاب) (Guardians of the Revolution), or simply Pāsdārān (پاسداران) (Guardians) as well. It should be noted though that among the Iranian population, especially among the diaspora, using the other names (especially when using the word Pasdaran) can indicate loyalty to the Islamic Republic or affiliation with the organization. For this reason, many Iranians will only say Sepah, not only for simplicity but to also indicate that they are opposed to the Islamic Republic.

Because the Basij is the only part of the organization that is visible on a daily basis, and because they suppress internal unrest (i.e. Protests, civil disobedience, etc.), many Iranians also informally use the term to refer to the Revolutionary Guards as.

Most foreign Governments and the English-speaking mass media tend to use the term Iranian Revolutionary Guards ("IRG") or simply the Revolutionary Guards. In the US media, the force is frequently referred to as the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps ("IRGC"), although this force is rarely described as a "corps" by non-US media.