Corriere Della Sera Daily website (Italy), 9 August 2012:
The 48 pilgrims arrested in Damascus are actually experienced members involved in repressive measures in Tehran.

On Wednesday Tehran confirmed a number of the pilgrims were former Revolutionary Guards members or retired military personnel. However, the opinion of the PMOI – opposition group against Khomeini’s regime – is different: The pilgrims are a part of a large group of Iranian IRGC members. They are experts in repressive activities dispatched through a very calculated system to provide support for Bashar Assad.
Central Command: PMOI reveals for Corriere Della Sera
The 48 arrested are a part of a group of 150 IRGC members. An organization that should have been followed up on August 7th, but for some reasons their entrance was postponed to a later date. Dissidents emphasize this issue was coordinated by the IRGC and its secret “Quds Force” branch. IRGC members usually board Mahan Air flights and use an undercover institution by the name of “Thamen al-Ame Culture Institution” and its associate company “Hijra Golden Light”, both involved in organizing and dispatching IRGC members to various locations in Syria. The central command is in Tehran directed by IRGC member Hassan Ashtiani. However, two outside branches are stationed in the cities of Isfahan and Damascus led by IRGC member Hamid Reza Golabchian and mullah Ghazali.
Path: The report prepared by the Iranian dissidents specifies the path used to transfer Iranian pilgrims. The easiest method is a flight from Tehran or Isfahan to Damascus. The second solution is to transfer from Iran to Najaf in Iraq, and from there to Syria. A third way is to transfer the insurgents from Beirut to Syrian soil by car or bus. The PMOI believes the Najaf route is the most frequently used for security reasons.
Plan:
The plan to provide military support to Syria is led directly by Quds Force commander Ghassem Suleimani and General Haj Heidar, an officer who lives primarily in Damascus.
A further step is Iran’s former ambassador in Iraq Hassan Ghomi and a senior Foreign Ministry official. These two individuals follow up on economic cooperation. A widespread effort by Tehran to defend its bitter axis with Damascus: A plan that Iranian leaders said a few hours ago must not be sacrificed.