Basij
| سازمان بسیج مستضعفین | |
 Banner of the Basij | |
| Formation | 26 November 1979 (decreed) 30 April 1980 (founded) |
|---|---|
| Founder | Ruhollah Khomeini |
| Type | Paramilitary volunteer militia |
| Fields | Internal security, law enforcement, moral policing, military reserves |
| Members | 20 million to 25 million members (per Iranian state media) 400,000 to 600,000 available for immediate call-up |
Commander | Hossein Taeb |
Parent organization |  Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps |
| Budget |  $357.08 million (2016) |
| Staff | 90,000-100,000 (CSIS estimate) (2005) |
| Website | basij |
purpose. It should be removed.| Part of a series on the |
| Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps |
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The Basij (Persian: بسیج, lit. 'Mobilization'), formally Sâzmân-e Basij-e Mostaz'afin (سازمان بسیج مستضعفین, 'Organization for Mobilization of the Oppressed'), is a paramilitary volunteer militia within the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and one of its five branches.
Established in the Islamic Republic of Iran in April 1980 by order of Ruhollah Khomeini, the organization serves as a civilian auxiliary group engaged in enforcing state control over society by acting as a morality police force in public settings, organizing pro-government rallies, suppressing dissident gatherings, and providing general social services. The organization originally recruited from poor, tribal, and rural communities affected by post-revolutionary economic and geopolitical challenges; a significant portion of its present-day membership continues to be drawn from the religious and politically loyalist segments of Iran's society, as well as from individuals who volunteer in exchange for official benefits.
As a component of the IRGC, the Basij is indirectly designated as a terrorist organization by the governments of the United States, the European Union, Bahrain, and Saudi Arabia. The force has played a prominent role in suppressing major episodes of domestic unrest, including riots in 2009–2010, 2017–2018, 2019–2020, 2022–2023, and 2025–2026.