Congress Legislators Urge US Allies: Designate IRGC as Terrorist Organization

On Thursday, 22 lawmakers from both the Republican and Democratic parties in the US Congress sent a letter to leaders in Australia, India, the UK, and Canada, calling for the inclusion of the entire Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) on the terrorist organization lists of these countries. According to the letter, "The Islamic Republic of Iran is the main state sponsor of terrorism worldwide, and the IRGC is the core of this country's terrorist operations both domestically and abroad." They noted several plots carried out by the IRGC against individuals around the world over recent decades, adding that designating this organization as terrorist would send a clear message to Iran that terrorist actions against us, our partners, and innocent citizens will not be tolerated. Claudia Tenney, Pat Fallon, and Joe Wilson from the Republican Party, along with Brad Sherman and Brad Schneider from the Democratic Party, are among the signatories of this letter. According to Claudia Tenney, "It is time for all governments to classify the IRGC as a terrorist organization to send the clear message that its terrorist activities must end." Canada has so far refrained from designating the entire IRGC as terrorist but has classified the Quds Force as a terrorist organization. Australia has implicitly indicated it may not be able to designate the IRGC as terrorist under its criminal laws; however, the Australian Senate recommended in February that the IRGC be designated as terrorist. India has close ties with Iran, and the UK is reportedly considering this matter but has not yet made an official decision. The Trump administration added the entire IRGC to the US list of foreign terrorist organizations in 2019, and the Biden administration has refrained from removing the IRGC from this list as a precondition for Iran in nuclear negotiations. The US has sanctioned the IRGC's intelligence organization and four of its commanders. Protests in London saw Iranians urging the UK to designate the IRGC as terrorist. The US, UK, and EU have sanctioned four IRGC commanders. Over 130 members of the US Congress have urged Europe to include the IRGC on its terrorist organization list. The UK has sanctioned several IRGC officials, and the EU is set to impose its sixth sanctions package. Germany has stated that adding the IRGC to the EU's terrorist organization list lacks a "legal basis."