IRGC at Forefront of Anti-Terror Fight: Iran’s Defense Minister
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Iranian Defense Minister Brigadier General Amir Hatami warned against a US plan to label the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) as a terror group, stressing the IRGC is at the forefront of the fight against terrorism.
“The IRGC is the most powerful anti-terror organization and is at the forefront of fighting terrorism,” General Hatami said on Thursday.
He added, “The IRGC, the (Iranian) Army, and the country’s other forces stand united and integrated in the face of the US government’s hostile and provocative policies and measures”.
Iran’s military forces will not allow Washington to jeopardize the region’s security through spreading proxy wars and terrorism, Hatami further said.
Describing the IRGC as the most powerful and popular force in the region, he said, “This revolutionary organization belongs to all nations in the region”.
The Iranian defense minister warned that designating the IRGC as a terrorist group would further destabilize the region.
US President Donald Trump is expected on October 15 to “decertify” a landmark 2015 international deal about Iran’s nuclear program, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).
Trump is also expected to designate the IRGC as a terrorist organization, as he rolls out a broader, more hawkish US strategy on Iran.
In comments on Sunday, IRGC Commander Major General Mohammad Ali Jafari said if speculations about the US administration’s “stupid decision” to designate the IRGC as a terrorist organization are true, the IRGC will, in turn, treat the US military around the world, particularly in the Middle East, as Daesh (ISIL) forces.