US designates Iran’s Revolutionary Guards as terrorist group

TIL Desk/World/Washington/ US President Donald Trump on Monday announced his decision to designate Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a terrorist group, the first time that Washington has taken such a drastic measure against the military forces of another country.

“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,” said Trump in a statement.

The Revolutionary Guard, created after the triumph of the 1979 Islamic Revolution to protect Iran’s then-new theocratic system, is the country’s most powerful military organization and controls large sectors of its economy.

In recent years, the US has imposed sanctions on dozens of entities and individuals affiliated with the Guard, but it had never directly punished that military body, a step that will result in travel restrictions and possible criminal charges for anyone who collaborates with the organisation.