US President, Donald Trump has designated Iran’s elite Revolutionary Guard Corps, IRGC, as a foreign terrorist organisation.
It is the first time the US has labelled another nation’s military as a terrorist organisation.
President Trump, who said the measure will take effect in one week’s time, added that the move was meant to “significantly expand the scope and scale” of pressure on Iran.
Mr. Trump’s statement yesterday said this unprecedented step, led by the Department of State, recognises 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.”
This move underscores the Trump administration’s desire to isolate and stigmatize Iran, though it is unlikely to have a significant impact upon the Revolutionary Guard Corps’ activities.
Though Washington-Tehran tensions have risen since Mr. Trump withdrew the US from the international Iran nuclear pact, labelling the Guards as a terrorist organisation will allow the US to impose further sanctions, particularly affecting the business sector, given the IRGC’s involvement in Iran’s economy.
A number of IRGC and affiliated entities have already been targeted by US sanctions for alleged proliferation activities, support for terrorism and human rights abuses.
According to report, Iran retaliated by declaring US forces in the Middle East as a terrorist organisation.
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