Continued Positioning Against the Possibility of the IRGC Being Designated as a Terrorist Organization by the U.S.

In continuation of the statements by Islamic Republic officials regarding reports of the potential designation of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a terrorist organization, the commander of this force and the spokesperson for Hassan Rouhani's government also commented on the matter. Last week, the White House announced that the U.S. government would soon announce its strategy regarding Iran's 'bad behavior.' Meanwhile, reports emerged indicating that one of the possible actions could be placing the IRGC on the list of U.S. terrorist organizations. Iranian officials reacted strongly to the possibility of such an action, with the spokesperson for the Iranian Foreign Ministry stating on Monday, October 9, that if such an action occurs, the U.S. must accept the consequences of Iran's 'hard, decisive, and crushing response.' In this context, the spokesperson for Hassan Rouhani's government also defended the IRGC on Tuesday, October 10, stating, 'If the U.S. considers the IRGC a terrorist group, they themselves will undoubtedly be in the ranks of terrorists.' According to the Mehr news agency, Mohammad Baqer Nobakht, the government spokesperson, also described the IRGC as 'attackers of terrorists' on Tuesday. Earlier, Mohammad Javad Zarif, Iran's Foreign Minister, warned on Monday that if Washington takes such an action, Tehran will also take retaliatory measures. According to Zarif, by placing the IRGC on the list of terrorist groups, the U.S. is 'isolating and becoming more hated among the Iranian people.' 'Good Coordination' of Rouhani's Government with the IRGC In a positive response to the Foreign Minister's position, the commander of the IRGC reported on Monday night 'good coordination' between this force and the Foreign Ministry of Hassan Rouhani's government. According to Tasnim news agency, Mohammad Ali Jafari, the IRGC commander, also referred to a point that seems to allude to part of Mohammad Javad Zarif's statements. Zarif had stated that if such a strategic mistake occurs by American officials, the Islamic Republic of Iran will respond in kind, and measures in this regard have been designed and will be implemented at the appropriate time. In this context, the IRGC commander also announced on Monday night that the Foreign Minister's positions 'have various security and defense aspects, but our manner of expression and speech is different.' Although neither of these two officials elaborated further on this matter, the IRGC commander's statement may refer to 'measures' that, according to the Foreign Minister, have been 'designed' to respond to the U.S. According to several officials in the U.S. government, Donald Trump will announce his country's policy regarding the nuclear agreement with Iran, the JCPOA, in the next two to three days. Trump has until October 15 to inform the U.S. Congress whether Iran is still adhering to the nuclear agreement. The U.S. government opposes the nuclear agreement reached with Iran during Barack Obama's presidency, and Trump and his administration officials have repeatedly stated that Iran is not adhering to the spirit of this agreement. In response, the Islamic Republic has accused the U.S. of violating the 'spirit' of the JCPOA.