Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps Finally Gets a Terrorist Label
by John Little on 14/08/2007This is way overdue. I guess we’re finally seeing some signs of life coming out of the administration:
The United States has decided to designate Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps, the country’s 125,000-strong elite military branch, as a “specially designated global terrorist,” according to U.S. officials, a move that allows Washington to target the group’s business operations and finances.
The Bush administration has chosen to move against the Revolutionary Guard Corps because of what U.S. officials have described as its growing involvement in Iraq and Afghanistan as well as its support for extremists throughout the Middle East, the sources said. The decision follows congressional pressure on the administration to toughen its stance against Tehran, as well as U.S. frustration with the ineffectiveness of U.N. resolutions against Iran’s nuclear program, officials said.
The designation of the Revolutionary Guard will be made under Executive Order 13224, which President Bush signed two weeks after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks to obstruct terrorist funding. It authorizes the United States to identify individuals, businesses, charities and extremist groups engaged in terrorist activities. The Revolutionary Guard would be the first national military branch included on the list, U.S. officials said — a highly unusual move because it is part of a government, rather than a typical non-state terrorist organization.
The administration’s track just got a little clearer with this move. Watch for moves against groups outside of Iran that are associated with the force. If we start rounding up arms dealers, shutting down front groups, and grabbing bank accounts (like we did with the folks tied to their nuclear program) the pressure on Iran will rise considerably.
More on the Revolutionary Guard Corps
Wikipedia – Army of the Guardians of the Islamic Revolution
GlobalSecurity.org
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