Tehran retaliates, declares US 'state sponsor of terrorism', US forces 'terror groups'

WASHINGTON: The United States yesterday designated Iran's elite military force, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, a terrorist organization, ramping up already far-reaching attempts to undermine the Iranian government. President Donald Trump said in a statement that the "unprecedented" move "recognizes the reality that Iran is not only a State Sponsor of Terrorism, but that the IRGC actively participates in, finances, and promotes terrorism as a tool of statecraft." "The IRGC is the Iranian government's primary means of directing and implementing its global terrorist campaign," Trump said.


WASHINGTON: US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announces that the US will designate Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a foreign terrorist organization during a press conference at the State Department yesterday. – AFP

It is the first time the United States has designated part of a foreign government a terrorist organization, rather than guerrilla groups or other more informal entities. The move comes on top of Trump's decision to pull the United States out of an international deal with Iran that was meant to lift crippling economic sanctions in return for the government allowing its nuclear technology to be restricted and kept under close supervision. The Trump administration argues that Iran's government, which is locked in a deeply hostile standoff with top US ally Israel, cannot be trusted and should face "maximum pressure".

Israeli's prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, warmly welcomed the move by his "dear friend" Trump. The terrorist designation for the Revolutionary Guards is meant to strike at the heart of the Iranian government's power structure. The elite force was formed after the 1979 Islamic revolution with a mission to defend the clerical regime, in contrast to more traditional military units that protect borders. At home, it has amassed strong political and economic influence. Abroad, the Guards' prized Quds Force, named for the Arabic word for Jerusalem, supports Iranian allies, including Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad and Lebanon's Hezbollah.

Later yesterday, Iran declared the US a "state sponsor of terrorism" and its forces in the region "terror groups", in a tit-for-tat response. In a statement carried by the official news agency IRNA, it slammed Washington's move as an "illegal and foolish act". In return, it "declares that it considers the regime of the USA a 'state sponsor of terrorism' and 'the Central Command of America, known as CENTCOM' and all forces related to it 'terrorist groups'," the statement said.

"The IRGC unlike America and its regional allies who have always supported extremist and terrorist groups in West Asia region, have always been in the frontline of fighting terrorism and extremism in the region," the council added. Part of America's vast military presence around the globe, CENTCOM's area of command covers multiple war zones and hotspots including Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, Yemen and the Gulf.

Iran's top diplomat Mohammad Javad Zarif had earlier urged President Hassan Rouhani to place CENTCOM forces on Tehran's list of terror groups, his ministry said. Zarif blasted the US move on Twitter, saying it was timed to support Netanyahu ahead of today's parliamentary election in the Jewish state. "A(nother) misguided election-eve gift to Netanyahu. A(nother) dangerous US misadventure in the region," he wrote.

Addressing reporters following Trump's announcement, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo warned all banks and business of consequences to dealing with the Revolutionary Guards from now on. "The leaders of Iran are racketeers, not revolutionaries," Pompeo said. "Businesses and banks around the world now have a clear duty to ensure that companies with which they conduct financial transactions are not conducted with the IRGC in any material way."

A senior Trump administration official said the new measure would criminalize contact with the Guards and "enable our prosecutors to bring charges to those that bring material support to the IRGC". "The IRGC is interwoven into the Iranian economy…. The safest course is to stop doing business with the IRGC. If you do business with the IRGC you run the risk of bankrolling terrorism," said the official, speaking on condition of anonymity. Another official said the force has "been a principal driver of violence on a vast scale for many decades" in an attempt "to reshape the Middle East in Iran's favor."

The dramatic escalation of Washington's attempt to undermine Iran's leaders comes on the eve of Israeli elections where close Trump ally Netanyahu is seeking to extend his 13 years in office. Trump, who describes himself as the most pro-Israeli US president ever, has recently recognized Israeli sovereignty over the occupied Golan Heights, as well as previously moving the US embassy from Tel Aviv to the contested city of Jerusalem.

"Thank you, my dear friend, US President Donald Trump, for having decided to declare Iran's Revolutionary Guards a terrorist organization," Netanyahu said in a statement issued minutes after the White House announcement. "Thank you for responding to another important request of mine, which serves the interests of our countries and countries of the region." - Agencies