Syria Decision Driven By IRGC Institutional Interest

The 2013 decision to actively intervene in Syria was driven primarily by the IRGC's institutional self-interest — a successful Syria would let the IRGC consolidate its position back in Iran and Iraq while a defeat would weaken it — taken collectively between Khamenei's office and senior IRGC leadership over objections from figures like Rafsanjani and the Foreign Ministry.