Proposal to Place IRGC on 'Terrorist Organizations' List in US Congress

Reports indicate that Ted Cruz and Jim Inhofe, two Republican senators, along with Michael McCaul, a Republican representative in the House of Representatives, introduced designs to the Senate and House on Tuesday that request the Secretary of State to place the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) on the 'Foreign Terrorist Organizations' list. According to Ted Cruz's website, this Republican senator stated: 'Yesterday, I introduced two proposals along with two House representatives, Michael McCaul (from Texas) and Mario Diaz-Balart (from Florida), which will protect Americans against the threat of radical Islamic terrorism and will call on the State Department to hold the IRGC and the Muslim Brotherhood accountable. These are two organizations with a violent Islamic ideology that see their mission as the destruction of the West.' The website of this Republican senator clarified that both proposals require the State Department to report whether these two organizations should be placed on the foreign terrorist organizations list based on the department's criteria. If they meet the conditions for being on this list, then these two proposals will enable the US to prevent these organizations from accessing financial resources to promote terrorist activities. Senator Cruz stated that introducing these proposals for the necessary reforms in the fight against Islamic terrorism is a source of pride for him. Michael McCaul, a representative from Texas in the House, also stated that if a foreign organization resembles a terrorist group, acts like a terrorist group, and supports terrorism, it should be called what it is; (that is) a foreign terrorist organization. This Republican congressman added: 'As is evident, for years the IRGC has been allowed to operate illegally using front companies and clandestine networks, effectively evading official identifications. The Obama administration turned a blind eye to these activities for the sake of reaching a flawed nuclear agreement, (the nuclear agreement) which Ayatollah Khamenei, the leader of Iran, said would not change Iran's behavior.' Michael McCaul emphasized: 'As a result of such actions, the IRGC continues to finance and train proxy forces such as Hezbollah and Hamas, jeopardizing our national security interests and those of our allies in the region.' He added: 'Although the Ayatollahs should have been held accountable much earlier, this proposal is a step in the right direction.' The report did not specify when these proposals will be reviewed in the relevant committees or when they will be voted on in the Senate and House. The US State Department, in its annual reports on the status of 'global terrorism,' identifies the Islamic Republic of Iran as 'the world's largest state sponsor of terrorism.' In October 2007, the US Senate, with 76 votes in favor and 22 against, approved a non-binding proposal by Republican Senator Jon Kyl and independent Senator Joseph Lieberman, calling on the then US government, led by George W. Bush, to place the IRGC on the list of terrorist organizations. A month later, the then US government sanctioned the IRGC. In this context, 'IRGC on the verge of being placed on the terrorist organizations list' is the reaction of the Iranian Defense Minister to the new sanctions imposed by the US Security Council, which sanctioned the IRGC, the Ministry of Defense, and several state banks.