Despite relentless pressures from within and the outside, the Iranian state has proven remarkably resilient over the last forty years. This resilience, which so far has ensured the state’s survival, is a product of a number of interrelated factors, one of the most central of which is the role of the country’s military establishment. This paper explores the role of Iran’s military forces in ensuring state resilience despite all odds. The Iranian military’s role in this regard is particularly central due to three main, overlapping factors: the military establishment’s highly elaborate institutional set-up and functional complexity; its ideologically highly committed and politically repressive nature; and the military’s exponentially important functions in relation to the economy and domestic politics. Institutionally, the Iranian military is comprised of the professional armed forces, the paramilitary Islamic Republican Guards Corp (IRGC) and its affiliated volunteer Basij forces, and the law enforcement forces. In addition to operations in Iran’s near-abroad, the IRGC is also involved in internal policing and has its own Intelligence division. In order to ensure their loyalty, both the professional military and the IRGC have their own Ideological-Political Directorate, as well as the Leader’s Representatives, who are appointed by and report directly to the Supreme Leader. Moreover, retired IRGC members occupy many of the state’s top leadership posts, from provincial governors to MPs, heads of state agencies and foundations, and business leaders. The IRGC has also emerged as the country’s single most important economic actor, filling the gap left by comprehensive international sanctions as Iran’s biggest contractor and economic conglomerate. Combined, these factors have resulted in the integration of the country’s multiple military institutions into the ruling hierarchy with deep, vested interests in maintaining the system and the political status quo.