In Iran, Revolutionary Guards play growing role in economy, government

http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/10/02/africa/ME-GEN-Iran-The-Guards.php

TEHRAN, Iran: They own car factories and construction firms, operate newspaper groups and oil fields and increasingly, serve in parliament or become provincial governors. To supporters, the Revolutionary Guards are the cream of the country's talent.
To the United States, they are simply terrorists.