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Shift in U.S.-Iran Relations
- The Revolutionary Guard cooperated with the U.S. after 9/11 by providing intelligence on the Taliban.
- This cooperation ended after President Bush's "Axis of Evil" speech, leading to distrust and a shift in Iranian strategy.
Soleimani's Humble Beginnings
- Qassem Soleimani's early life was marked by obscurity, having been born to landless peasants and leaving school after five years.
- He joined the Revolutionary Guard after the 1979 revolution, initially working as a construction worker.
Disillusionment and Evolving Ideology
- Many Revolutionary Guard officers, including Soleimani, lost faith in the clerical class after witnessing their hypocrisy.
- This led to the development of an ideology combining Shia Islam and Iranian nationalism.