The FDD – Foundation for Defense of Democracies – a Washington think tank, has published a 56-page report on the status of the IRGC’s involvement in Iran’s economy. Just click on the button on the webpage to download the pdf.
The report is titled How the Nuclear Deal Enriches Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps and it gives a thorough and somewhat detailed treatment of the IRGC’s involvement in various sectors of the Iranian economy. As its introduction says,
This report demonstrates the Revolutionary Guard’s pervasive influence in the Iranian economy and provides an accounting of the IRGC’s nefarious activities.
Major General Mohammad Ali Ja’fari, the top commander of the IRGC.
Major General Mohammad Bagheri, who was recently promoted to chief of staff of Iranian armed forces, including the IRGC.
Besides being a handy resource for detailing the economic power of the IRGC (as written about in DR, p. 180), it also confirms the IRGC’s candidacy as the second horn of the ram that grew up longer, later (per Dan. 8:3) where it also says in its introduction,
Established in 1979 to consolidate the Islamic revolution and fight its enemies, the IRGC has evolved over the years into a full-fledged conventional army, conducting and directing terrorist activity abroad. The Guard has also become a political power broker, an economic conglomerate, and an agency in charge of nuclear and ballistic-missile proliferation.
Categories: Signpost #2: Iran
THE FOUR SIGNPOSTS 
Mark,
This has been posted on Twitter today. Thoughts?
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/oct/08/iran-iraq-syria-isis-land-corridor?CMP=share_btn_tw
Good4u1,
Interesting catch. The article is definitely in parallel with the Second Signpost. And remember the word for “west” in Daniel 8:4 is “seaward.” The tell-tale part is toward the end –
“If we lose Syria, we lose Tehran,” Suleimani told the late Iraqi politician Ahmed Chalabi in 2014. Chalabi told the Observer at the time that Suleimani had added: “We will turn all this chaos into an opportunity.”
The IRGC and regime’s very existence is to cause chaos, to run out to the sea. If they lose Syria, they lose Tehran, i.e. that’s it for the regime – game over. And turning the chaos into opportunity is what the Second Signpost is all about.
This from today fits the link of Good4u1 too:
“Ahmed al-Assadi, a spokesman for the Iraq-sanctioned paramilitary known as Popular Mobilization Units (PMU), said on Saturday that they will fight alongside Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad’s forces in Syria after finishing their battle against ISIS in the northern Iraqi city of Mosul, Al Arabiya News Channel reported. The Iran-funded PMU has launched an assault on ISIS west of Mosul on Saturday but reiterated that they would not enter the Sunni majority city.” PMU is Shia.
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2016/10/29/Spokesman-Iraq-s-PMU-to-enter-Syria-to-aid-Assad-after-Mosul-.html
And pay close attention to the green flag on the accompanying photo. To the left a face that seems to indicate Jesus (Isa), and to the right a figure all in black (The Mahdi) with a red flag… Similar “hint” as the red badges on the collars of the IRGC top brass?
It is not the official PMU flag by the way; that is red on yellow, see:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Popular_Mobilization_Forces
Mark,
Here is a statement I pulled off of my twitter feed and perhaps it might be work a little research to verify if possible.
Iran is building two large naval zones and three bases on the coasts of Makran along the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman.