I’m an “elite” chess player. :)
Don’t know how to play well at all but as long as I’m playing against a child who’s not a prodigy, no one can prove I’m NOT elite.
Put them up against US Marines to answer the question once and for all.
Political reliability. They occupy a similar position as the SS did in Nazi Germany, a political armed force independent of the military. The IRGC, and the Quds Force, it’s special ops component, are instrumental to both the mullahs domestic hold on power and projecting power abroad.
The Quds Force in particular is tactically very competent, they have been Iran’s key contribution to maintaining Assad’s hold on power in Syria. There support was critical to allowing Assad to survive until Russia decided to commit troops and win Assad’s war for him.
They’re elite compared to Iran’s regular army, which may not be saying much.
They are more loyal to the mullahs tgan the regular military.