US in 'unprecedented move' designates Iran's Revolutionary Guards as a terrorist organisation

Published April 8, 2019
In this Sept 21, 2016 photo, Iran's Revolutionary Guard troops march in a military parade marking the 36th anniversary of Iraq's 1980 invasion of Iran. — AP
In this Sept 21, 2016 photo, Iran's Revolutionary Guard troops march in a military parade marking the 36th anniversary of Iraq's 1980 invasion of Iran. — AP

President Donald Trump on Monday announced that the United States is designating Iran's elite military force, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), a terrorist organisation.

Trump said in a statement that the “unprecedented” move “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".

Soon after Washington declared the elite unit a terrorist group, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo warned all banks and business of consequences to dealing with Iran's Revolutionary Guards.

“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,” he told reporters.

It is the first time that the US has designated a part of another country as a terrorist organisation.

The designation imposes sanctions that include freezes on assets the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps may have in US jurisdictions and a ban on Americans doing business with it.

Iran has threatened to retaliate for the decision.

Tit for tat response

In response to the US move, Iran's Supreme National Security Council declared the US a “state sponsor of terrorism” and US forces in the region “terrorist groups”, state media reported.

In a statement carried by the official news agency IRNA, it said the move was in response to Washington's “illegal and foolish act” of designating Iran's Revolutionary Guards a terrorist organisation.

Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif also condemned the move as a "a(nother) misguided election-eve gift to [Israeli PM Benjamin] Netanyahu".

"A(nother) misguided election-eve gift to Netanyahu. A(nother) dangerous US misadventure in the region," he said in a tweet.

The impact

The designation allows the US to deny entry to people found to have provided the Guard with material support or prosecute them for sanctions violations. That could include European and Asian companies and business people who deal with the Guard's many affiliates.

It will also complicate diplomacy. Without exclusions or waivers to the designation, US troops and diplomats could be barred from contact with Iraqi or Lebanese authorities who interact with Guard officials or surrogates.

The Pentagon and US intelligence agencies have raised concerns about the impact of the designation if the move does not allow contact with foreign officials who may have met with or communicated with Guard personnel. Those concerns have in part dissuaded previous administrations from taking the step, which has been considered for more than a decade.

Opinion

Editorial

The Peca problem
Updated 15 Feb, 2025

The Peca problem

The fight for fundamental freedoms is not the media’s alone, but one that concerns every citizen.
Miners in danger
15 Feb, 2025

Miners in danger

YESTERDAY’S devastating terrorist attack in Harnai, which killed at least 11 coal miners and injured seven others,...
Solar panels scam
15 Feb, 2025

Solar panels scam

THE scam involving over-invoicing to the tune of more than Rs69bn in the import of solar panels raises many ...
Dangerous times
Updated 14 Feb, 2025

Dangerous times

Pakistan accounted for six journalist killings in 2024, of which three were deliberately murdered, according to the CPJ.
Difficult target
14 Feb, 2025

Difficult target

A ONE-two punch delivered by an unforeseen, sharp dip in inflation and an extremely slim base of taxpayers is...
Amazing show
14 Feb, 2025

Amazing show

PAKISTAN’S ability to turn it up at the flick of a switch remains uninhibited. The latest show came in...