Jafari: New US Sanctions Will Eliminate Any Chance of Interaction Forever

The commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) reacted to the possibility of this military force being placed on the list of terrorist organizations by the US, stating that if this news is correct, we will consider the US Army equivalent to ISIS. Some Western media outlets, including Politico and the Financial Times, reported in recent days that Donald Trump, the President of the United States, is expected to soon designate the IRGC as a terrorist organization. According to Sepah News, Mohammad Ali Jafari said on Sunday, October 8, in a meeting of the IRGC's Strategic Council: 'If the scattered news regarding the stupidity of the US government in considering the IRGC as a terrorist group is correct, the IRGC will also regard the US Army worldwide, especially in the Middle East, as equivalent to ISIS.' He emphasized that 'the new US sanctions will eliminate any chance of interaction forever,' adding: 'These sanctions complete our experience with the JCPOA, and that experience is that dialogue for the US is a tool of pressure and enmity, not interaction or problem-solving.' The IRGC commander also rejected any negotiations with the US regarding Middle Eastern issues, stating that 'the Islamic Republic of Iran intends to resolve regional issues outside the negotiation table; there is neither a topic for negotiation nor a party for it.' Jafari once again threatened that if the new US sanctions law is implemented, 'this country must relocate its regional bases within a radius of two thousand kilometers of Iran's missile range.' Earlier in July, he had also mentioned the possibility of sanctions against the IRGC, stating that the US 'must first gather its regional bases up to a depth of one thousand kilometers around Iran and understand that it must correct its miscalculations at a high cost.' Donald Trump, a staunch opponent of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), has repeatedly accused Iran of violating the spirit of the nuclear agreement made in July 2015 with world powers and disrupting peace and stability in the Middle East. Washington has particularly pointed its finger at the IRGC, which it claims has intervened militarily in Syria, Iraq, Yemen, and Lebanon. Sarah Sanders, the White House spokesperson, on October 6, referred to Washington's new plans regarding Iran, stating that the Trump administration is working to adopt a comprehensive strategy to address various issues ranging from 'destabilizing the region' to 'state-sponsored terrorism' and 'missile tests.' The IRGC is currently on the US sanctions list due to human rights violations and Iran's missile program, but if this military organization is placed on its terrorist list, it would likely be the first time a military arm of a political regime enters this list. Currently, 61 groups and organizations are on the US terrorist list, including PKK, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, Hezbollah, Boko Haram, Al-Shabaab, Hamas, Haqqani, and Al-Qaeda.