Iran Press/America: The Donald Trump administration is preparing to designate the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) as a foreign terrorist organization, US officials have confirmed. The move is controversial and has divided Trump administration officials.
The decision, which could be announced as early as Monday following months of deliberation, would mark the first time that an element of a foreign state has been officially designated a terrorist entity, the Wall Street Journal reported.
US National security adviser John Bolton and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo have been strong proponents of the move, the officials said.
But Pentagon officials, including Marine Gen. Joe Dunford, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, have cautioned against the move, several US officials said.
Central Intelligence Agency officials have also had reservations about consequences of the decision, the officials said.
Spokesmen for Gen. Dunford, the CIA and the US Central Command declined to comment.
John Bolton attends a meeting with President Trump and the Chilean president in the Oval Office on Sept. 28, 2018
Jason Blazakis, who served until last year as director of the State Department’s Counterterrorism Finance and Designations Office, said the designation would have major implications.
“The designation of IRGC as a Foreign Terrorist Organization is precedent setting. Never before has the Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) sanctions tool been directed at a state-body. The future ramifications of this decision will be profound,” said Mr. Blazakis, now a professor at Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey.
“There are legitimate arguments both ways, but there are definitely second and third-tier level (implications) that have to be considered,” said a US official. Those who have argued against the move, “think those second and third-tier levels haven’t been fully considered.”
The Obama administration considered but never took the step of designating the IRGC as a terrorist group. “New leadership has decided to look at things differently,” the official said.
Iran has categorically slammed adding Iranian Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) to the list of terrorist groups. 101/211/201
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