US designates Iranian Guard 'foreign terrorist' group

By Michael Hernandez

WASHINGTON (AA) - The Trump administration on Monday took the unprecedented action of designating Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) a "foreign terrorist organization."

The move marks the first time a government agency has been blacklisted as a terrorist body, though parts of the corps had previously been designated, namely its elite external operations wing, the Quds Force.

U.S. President Donald Trump had long been mulling the penalty, but the process to designate the Quds Force gained traction in the past few months as his administration seeks to escalate pressure on Tehran.

Trump said the designation "recognizes the reality that Iran is not only a State Sponsor of Terrorism, but that the IRGC actively participates in, finances, and promotes terrorism as a tool of statecraft."

"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," the president said in a statement.