{"id":346930,"date":"2026-07-27T10:21:36","date_gmt":"2026-07-27T09:21:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/?p=346930"},"modified":"2026-07-27T11:37:20","modified_gmt":"2026-07-27T10:37:20","slug":"the-irgc-links-a-1988-battle-to-irans-2026-uprising-and-reveals-its-deepest-fear","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/news\/the-irgc-links-a-1988-battle-to-irans-2026-uprising-and-reveals-its-deepest-fear\/","title":{"rendered":"The IRGC Links a 1988 Battle to Iran\u2019s 2026 Uprising\u2014and Reveals Its Deepest Fear"},"content":{"rendered":"

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\"NLA
NLA convoy of armored personnel carriers advancing along the winding mountain road at Hassan Abad Pass, western Iran, during Operation Eternal Light on July 28, 1988<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Five-minute read<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

The IRGC\u2019s latest anniversary statement is less about a battle in 1988 than about the organised resistance it fears inside Iran today<\/h3>\n

Why would a regime issue an urgent political warning about a military operation that took place thirty-eight years ago?<\/p>\n

That is the question raised by the latest statement from Iran\u2019s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC<\/a>). On Sunday, July 26, 2026, state-controlled media circulated an IRGC declaration<\/a> marking the anniversary of what the regime calls Operation Mersad\u2014the military response to Operation Eternal Light<\/a>, launched by the National Liberation Army of Iran in the summer of 1988.<\/p>\n

The statement presents itself as a commemoration of a historic victory. In reality, its language is dominated not by confidence, but by anxiety: repeated warnings about vigilance, infiltration, national unity and the continuing influence of the People\u2019s Mojahedin Organisation of Iran (PMOI\/MEK<\/a>).<\/p>\n

At the beginning of its statement, the IRGC declares: \u201cThe historical memory of the Iranian nation shows that one of the most magnificent manifestations of the power and insight of the proud Iranian people emerged in the confrontation with the current of hypocrisy and the struggle against the hated and terrorist Monafeqin group, creating the epic of Mersad.\u201d<\/p>\n

The expression \u201cMonafeqin\u201d, meaning \u201chypocrites\u201d, is the derogatory term routinely used by the Iranian regime for the MEK. Its repeated appearance throughout the statement illustrates how deeply the organization remains embedded in the regime\u2019s political vocabulary and security calculations.<\/p>\n

Most revealingly, the IRGC does not confine its accusations to 1988. It explicitly links the MEK<\/a> to Iran\u2019s recent nationwide uprising and acknowledges that the organization played what it calls an \u201ceffective and prominent role\u201d in the events of January 8 and 9, 2026. That admission explains why the regime remains haunted<\/a> by Operation Eternal Light nearly four decades later.<\/p>\n

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\ud83d\udea8 Iran's Execution Machine Targets PMOI Prisoners<\/p>\n

Twelve PMOI supporters and members are now at imminent risk of execution in Iran.<\/p>\n

Since July 2025, the regime has executed 11 PMOI members, marking one of the deadliest waves of political executions in recent years.<\/p>\n

The\u2026 pic.twitter.com\/MDujgTrcdJ<\/a><\/p>\n

— SIMAY AZADI TV (@en_simayazadi) July 25, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n