IRGC and Qassem Soleimani on Bahrain and Saudi Arabia's 'Terrorist List'; Reaction from Ismail Qotbari

On Tuesday, October 23, Saudi Arabia and Bahrain placed the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and Qassem Soleimani, the commander of the Quds Force, on their list of terrorist organizations. In response, Ismail Qotbari, the deputy commander of the Quds Force, stated that this action by Saudi Arabia aims to divert global and regional public opinion from the issue of Jamal Khashoggi's murder. The Saudi state news agency (SPA) announced that the IRGC, Qassem Soleimani, Abdul Reza Shahlai, and Hamid Abdollahi were included in the list of terrorist entities and individuals by Saudi Arabia and Bahrain. The United States has accused Iran of being involved in a plot to assassinate the Saudi ambassador in Washington. The names of Abdul Reza Shahlai and Hamid Abdollahi were also mentioned in the 2011 'assassination case' of Adel al-Jubeir, the then Saudi ambassador to the U.S. The U.S. and the European Union have imposed sanctions on Qassem Soleimani, Abdul Reza Shahlai, and Hamid Abdollahi in connection with this case. In reaction to the actions of Saudi Arabia and Bahrain on Tuesday, Ismail Qotbari told Mehr News Agency: 'The Al Saud family is seeking to deflect and divert global and regional public opinion from the issue of the murder of Jamal Khashoggi, a Saudi-born journalist, at the consulate of this country in Turkey.' The deputy commander of the Quds Force emphasized: 'Certainly, Saudi Arabia's actions to divert public opinion will have no results. Public opinion and the freedom-loving people of the world clearly know that Khashoggi was murdered by the orders of the Saudi leaders.' Jamal Khashoggi, a critic of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and a columnist for the Washington Post, visited the Saudi consulate in Istanbul three weeks ago for paperwork related to his marriage but did not leave the premises. Initially, Saudi Arabia insisted that he had left the consulate, but after two weeks, it admitted that Khashoggi was killed in the consulate 'in a quarrel.' Saudi Arabia and Bahrain accuse the Islamic Republic of Iran of interfering in the internal affairs of Arab countries in the region. The Saudi Foreign Minister stated in October of this year: 'Iranians have been continuously doing all the bad things in the region for the past 35 years.' Adel al-Jubeir has accused Iran of supplying missiles to Houthi militants, sending explosives to Bahrain's opposition, and providing financial and military assistance to Bashar al-Assad's government. Iran has denied the accusations of supplying weapons to the Houthis. Tehran claims it entered the Syrian campaign 'at the invitation of the central government of Syria' and 'to fight against terrorism.' The Islamic Republic, in turn, has accused Saudi Arabia of 'producing, nurturing, and spreading terrorism' in the region and the world. The Iranian Foreign Ministry described the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia's statements as 'brazen.' Saudi Arabia has labeled Iran as 'the biggest supporter of terrorism.' Amir-Abdollahian stated that Iran's advisory assistance to Syria and Iraq will continue. Saudi Arabia has complained to the United Nations Security Council about Iran.