Trump Designates Part of Iranian Military as Terrorist Organization

The U.S. designated the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as a Foreign Terrorist Organization, marking the first time the U.S. has labeled a government an FTO, according to an April 8 White House notice. The designation is designed to increase financial pressure on Iran and isolate it from military resources, which the notice said are used for “terrorist activities.” The designation will take effect April 15, according to a statement made at a State Department briefing April 8 by Assistant Secretary of State for Counterterrorism Nathan Sales: "With the announcement today, which will take effect a week from now, the legal status of the IRGC will change from an organization to a designated foreign terrorist organization."

The White House warned other governments and private companies about dealing with entities associated with Iran, which may be “front companies” funded by the country to fund terrorism. “The profits from what appear to be legitimate business deals can end up supporting the Iranian regime’s terrorist agenda,” the notice said. The announcement comes less than a month after the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control sanctioned 25 individuals and entities for operating Iranian “front companies” and transferring more than $1 billion to the IRGC and other Iran military groups.

The White House said Iran is the “leading state sponsor of terror, spending nearly a billion dollars” per year on terrorism. The notice also referenced President Donald Trump’s withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal in 2018 and imposition of sanctions on the country. ”This action will significantly expand the scope and scale of our maximum pressure on the Iranian regime,” Trump said in a statement. "It makes crystal clear the risks of conducting business with, or providing support to, the IRGC. If you are doing business with the IRGC, you will be bankrolling terrorism."

Speaking with reporters on April 8, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said the move was designed to undercut support and place “maximum pressure” on Iran while forcing to it behave like a "normal nation." Pompeo added that "businesses and banks around the world now have a clear duty to ensure that companies with which they conduct financial transactions are not connected to the IRGC in any material way." After the White House announcement, Iran threatened the U.S. with retaliation, according to a report from the Associated Press, and warned it would designate the U.S. military as a terrorist organization.