An effective sanctions regime against the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps must necessarily target its financial arm.

The Iranian Basji, or "people's militia," were initially intended to have a security role, and have made more frequent political interventions since the 2005 election of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

The latest round of UN sanctions against Iran are merely a symbolic gesture and will not work because they fail to target the financial arm of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, the engine of Iran's nuclear program.

How has the president managed to build such a formidable power base? Who are the key members of his coterie, and will they enable their benefactor to outsmart the supreme leader to become Iran's effective ruler?

While the United States has focused its attention on Iranian activities in the greater Middle East, Iran has worked assiduously to expand its influence in Latin America and Africa.