Qasemi: Iran's Response to the Designation of the IRGC as Terrorists Will Be Decisive and Crushing

The spokesperson for the Islamic Republic's Foreign Ministry stated that Iran's response to the U.S. designation of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a terrorist organization will be 'hard, decisive, and crushing,' and that the U.S. must accept the consequences. Bahram Qasemi said on Tuesday, July 8, in an interview with reporters that he hopes the U.S. does not make this 'strategic and significant mistake' of placing the IRGC on the list of terrorist groups. He added, 'But if it does, Iran's response will be hard, decisive, and crushing, and the U.S. must accept the consequences.' These statements from the Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson come a day after a severe warning from the IRGC's commander, who threatened that if new U.S. sanctions are implemented, 'the U.S. must relocate its regional bases within a radius of two thousand kilometers of Iran's missile range.' Mohammad Ali Jafari had added that 'new U.S. sanctions will eliminate any chance of interaction forever.' His remarks were in response to some Western media reports that indicated U.S. President Donald Trump is considering placing the IRGC on the list of terrorist organizations soon. Trump is expected to announce his opinion on Iran's compliance or non-compliance with the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) by October 15. Some media, including the American newspaper 'Washington Post,' have reported that he is likely to vote for Iran's non-compliance. Currently, many commanders and subunits of the IRGC are targeted by U.S. sanctions due to human rights violations and Iran's missile activities, but the entire force is not sanctioned. In another part of his remarks, the Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson referred to the sentencing of Abdolrasoul Dari Esfahani, a member of Iran's nuclear negotiation team, to five years in prison, stating, 'What has been mentioned by the spokesperson of the judiciary is valid, and I have no comment on this matter.' Qasemi also praised what he called Dari Esfahani's 'positive efforts' over the past decades in the Islamic Republic's institutions, stating, 'It is said that the return of $1.7 billion was his work, but investigating individuals' hidden relationships is not the Foreign Ministry's job; other agencies should do this.' He added, 'He was introduced by one of the organizations and was present as an advisor at times in the JCPOA and collaborated with the economic section of the JCPOA but was not a member of the JCPOA board.' Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei, the spokesperson for the Iranian judiciary, announced on Sunday the confirmation of the five-year prison sentence for Abdolrasoul Dari Esfahani, citing charges of espionage and providing information to foreigners. He directly referred to Dari Esfahani as a dual national who had connections with two intelligence services, stating that his five-year prison sentence was confirmed and finalized in the appeals court. His five-year prison sentence comes despite the Iranian Minister of Intelligence stating in a note to the Islamic Consultative Assembly that, according to the Ministry of Intelligence experts, Dari Esfahani did not engage in espionage.