Some anon posted this article in another thread but I think it's interesting as its own. Here are some key points:
https://engelsbergideas.com/notebook/the-irgcs-way-of-war/- the Islamic Republic is not organised around a single person: its institutional design prioritises not the fate of any leader, but rather the preservation of the system itself.
- The Supreme National Security Council (SNSC) provides a clear example. The SNSC brings together military officials (army and IRGC commanders), key ministers (intelligence, foreign affairs, interior), the president, and other key figures,
- The SNSC effectively serves as the central body responsible for formulating core policies on national security
- Through the SNSC, senior regime officials deliberate and make decisions through consensus, decisions that are formally ratified by the Supreme Leader. Decision-making thus occurs through an institutionalised and collegial process rather than through unilateral directives from the top.
- The armed forces are similarly depersonalised and horizontal.
- in wartime, local commanders have been empowered under Iran’s ‘Mosaic Defence’ policy, which enables them to act independently, especially if senior leaders are killed or communications are cut
- The IRGC emerged as an amalgamation of revolutionary militias
Honestly, this seems to be in line with what I would expect an honest communist party to strive (well, most of it). 1. is essentially collective leadership, 2. 3. 4. is democratic centralism, 5. is partisan warfare and 6. 7. is a network of soviets.
the great and avthentic revolutionaries are two: Deng Xiaoping and Ali Khamenei.