Zarif: We Will Respond If the U.S. Designates the IRGC as a Terrorist Organization

Following reports that the U.S. government may soon list the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a terrorist organization, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif warned on Monday, October 9, that if Washington takes such action, Tehran will respond in kind. According to Zarif, by designating the IRGC as a terrorist group, the U.S. makes itself "more isolated and hated among the Iranian people." Zarif added, "If such a strategic mistake occurs by American officials, the Islamic Republic of Iran will take reciprocal action, and measures have been designed and will be implemented at the appropriate time." Zarif did not provide further details on the planned actions. The White House announced last week that the U.S. government would soon announce its strategy regarding Iran's "bad behavior." Meanwhile, it is reported that one of the possible actions is to place the IRGC on the list of terrorist organizations. Iranian officials have reacted strongly to the possibility of such a move, with the Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson stating that if such an action occurs, the U.S. must accept the consequences of Iran's "hard, decisive, and crushing response." These statements came a day after Major General Mohammad Ali Jafari, the commander of the IRGC, threatened that if new sanctions laws are enacted, "the U.S. must relocate its regional bases within a 2,000-kilometer range of Iran's missile capabilities." 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 has not been designated as a terrorist organization. The announcement of the U.S. strategy to contain Iran in the region is expected in the coming days, while previously, General Herbert McMaster, the U.S. National Security Advisor, emphasized that Donald Trump views the entire situation regarding Iran, not just its nuclear program, in his decision regarding the JCPOA. Zarif further commented on the U.S. approach to the nuclear agreement with six world powers, stating, "We have repeatedly stated that the Islamic Republic of Iran determines its policies based on benefiting from the JCPOA, and in this regard, we have multiple options inside and outside the JCPOA, which we will implement based on how much our interests are respected." Zarif added, "The Trump administration's policy has been to deprive Iran of the benefits of the JCPOA, but we will not allow the U.S. to take such action with our policies; we have been successful in this regard so far and will respond appropriately in the future." Meanwhile, it is said that the U.S. President will announce a new strategy regarding Iran, which will consider all of its behaviors, including missile tests, "support for terrorism," and cyberattacks. In this context, U.S. officials have indicated the possibility of not sending the U.S. government's certification to Congress in the coming days. A senior U.S. official told Reuters that Donald Trump will not issue a certification of Iran's compliance with the nuclear agreement with six world powers, effectively leaving the fate of the JCPOA to Congress. The White House spokesperson also stated that the Trump administration is working to adopt a comprehensive strategy to address various issues from "destabilizing the region" to "state-sponsored terrorism" and "missile tests." Meanwhile, France has expressed concern about escalating tensions in the Middle East if the IRGC is designated as a terrorist organization.