Iran to reciprocate US measures against IRGC
EghtesadOnline: Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif says Tehran will take reciprocal measures against a potential “strategic mistake” by US President Donald Trump to designate the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) as a terrorist organization.
“If American officials make such a strategic mistake, the Islamic Republic of Iran will take a reciprocal measure,” Zarif said on Monday, adding, “Some measures have been thought out in this regard and will be taken at the appropriate time.”
Zarif’s remarks came a few days before the US president's expected announcement of a final decision on his Iran strategy, according to PressTV.
Trump is reportedly planning to “decertify” on October 15 the nuclear agreement, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), reached between Iran and the P5+1 group of countries in 2015. According to reports, the US president plans to declare that the nuclear deal is not in the national interest of the United States and kick the issue to a reluctant Congress. He is also expected to designate the IRGC as a terrorist organization.
The Iranian foreign minister warned that in case of such a move, the US would become more isolated and despicable among the Iranian people.
“The policy of Trump’s administration has been to deprive Iran of the JCPOA’s benefits, but through our policies, we will not allow the US to make such a move. We have been successful so far in this regard and will respond [to US actions] with proper measures in the future,” the top Iranian diplomat pointed out.
Zarif said Iran had repeatedly announced that its defensive power was not negotiable, adding that it has been even specified in the JCPOA that Iran would not negotiate on its defensive power.
The IRGC chief commander, Major General Mohammad Ali Jafari, said on Sunday that Iran would treat US troops like Daesh terrorists if the IRGC was designated as a terrorist organization by the US.
Speaking at a daily briefing on Monday, French Foreign Ministry spokeswoman, Agnes Romatet-Espagne, expressed concern that designating the IRGC as a “terrorist” group by the US administration could exacerbate tensions in the region.
“In the context of regional instability, France is vigilant on any actions that could exacerbate the current crises," she said, adding that regional countries, for their part, should play a “specific role and must show restraint and a sense of responsibility.”