Reported by PMOI/MEK
Washington DC, April 8, 2018 – US administration is designating the Islamic Revolutionary Guards, IRGC as the Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO). This step is aimed at increasing maximum pressures on the Mullahs’ regime.
In a state department live press briefing, Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo announced this designation.
President Trump announced the designation Monday morning, saying "If you are doing business with the IRGC, you will be bankrolling terrorism.”
The following is the complete statement by the US president:
“Today, I am formally announcing my Administration’s plan to designate Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), including its Qods Force, as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) under Section 219 of the Immigration and Nationality Act. This unprecedented step, led by the Department of State, recognizes 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. The IRGC is the Iranian government’s primary means of directing and implementing its global terrorist campaign.
“This designation will be the first time that the United States has ever named a part of another government as an FTO. It underscores the fact that Iran’s actions are fundamentally different from those of other governments. This action will significantly expand the scope and scale of our maximum pressure on the Iranian regime. It makes crystal clear the risks of conducting business with, or providing support to, the IRGC. If you are doing business with the IRGC, you will be bankrolling terrorism.
“This action sends a clear message to Tehran that its support for terrorism has serious consequences. We will continue to increase financial pressure and raise the costs on the Iranian regime for its support of terrorist activity until it abandons its malign and outlaw behavior.”
The White House sees the IRGC as an "active and enthusiastic participant in acts of terror," according to a senior administration official
"The Middle East cannot be more stable and peaceful without a weakened IRGC," Brian Hook, US special representative on Iran said.
Responding to the terrorist designation of the IRGC, NCRI President-elect Maryam Rajavi said: “The FTO (terrorist) listing of Iran’s IRGC is a just and long overdue desire of the Iranian people and Resistance and it also happens to be a prerequisite to peace and stability in the region and the world.”
