The Quds Force's roots stretch back to the Iran-Iraq war in 1980. Iran, which sought international influence amid heightened tensions in the Middle East, established the paramilitary group to conduct warfare through the use of proxies.
As the elite branch of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, the country's hardline military force that reports directly to the supreme leader, the Quds Force has been linked to violent plots and attacks against the US and its allies.
One method the Quds Force uses in destabilizing the Middle East is the use of military aid and funding. The group was discovered to have funded numerous organizations designated as terrorist groups by the US, including Hezbollah in Lebanon and Hamas in Gaza.
As a consequence of its actions, the Quds Force and the Republican Guard have also been designated as foreign terrorist organizations by the US.
In 2007, the US designated Qassem Soleimani, the Quds Force chief, as a terrorist and imposed sanctions against him, pointing toward roughly $100 million to $200 million that was provided to Hezbollah and weapons that were provided to the Taliban.
Within Iraq, the Quds Force trained militant groups that attacked the US through the use of sophisticated explosives.
One such explosive, the explosively-formed penetrator (EFP), was particularly devastating for US troops and coalition allies because its metal projectile shattered even armored vehicles. Roughly 861 US troops were wounded and 196 were killed by Iranian-made EFPs in the last decade, according to a Military Times report citing the US military.
The Quds Force is also believed to be operating beyond the Middle East, including the US. Soleimani and other Iranian officials were accused of orchestrating a plot to kill the Saudi ambassador in Washington D.C.
Source: The Wilson Center