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News ID: 45130
Publish Date : 10 October 2017 - 21:05

Countries Join Iran in Warning U.S. on IRGC




MOSCOW (Dispatches) -- Russia's foreign ministry takes a critical view of U.S. President Donald Trump's plans to designate Iran's Islamic Revolution Guards Corp (IRGC) as a terrorist organization, Russia's Interfax news agency reported Tuesday.
Russia's foreign ministry does not consider Iran's revolutionary guards as a terrorist organization, the agency cited the ministry as saying.
Iran told the United States on Tuesday that it will keep "all options on table” if Trump designates the IRGC as a terrorist organization.
It came a day after the government said Washington itself would be aiding terrorism if it took such an action.
Trump is expected to blacklist the IRGC this week. U.S. sanctions on the IRGC could affect conflicts in Iraq and Syria, where Tehran and allegedly Washington support warring parties that oppose Daesh.
"The Americans are too small to be able to harm the Revolutionary Guards,” Ali Akbar Velayati, the top adviser to Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, was quoted as saying by ISNA.
"We have all options on the table. Whatever they do, we will take reciprocal measures,” he added.
Iranian government spokesman also said the world should be "thankful” to the IRGC for its fight against Daesh and other terrorist groups.
"By taking a stance against the Revolutionary Guards and designating it a terrorist group, the Americans would be joining the terrorists’ camp,” Muhammad Baqer Nobakht said in a weekly news conference broadcast live on state television.
Trump is expected to "decertify” a landmark 2015 deal Iran struck with world powers to curb its nuclear program in return for the lifting of most sanctions.
Trump’s announcement would stop short of pulling out of the agreement but give Congress 60 days to decide whether to reimpose sanctions.
Iran’s rial has dropped against the U.S. dollar in recent days in a sign of concern about Trump’s policy. The rial was quoted in the free market around 40,400 to the dollar, currency exchangers in Tehran said, compared to 39,200 last week. Several exchangers said they had stopped selling dollars from Monday and were waiting to assess the trend in the market.
The government told Iranians on Tuesday it would not let the decisions of the "mentally unstable” Trump affect the market.
"Trump might say some things by the end of the week, but this should not create chaos in the market. Iran is a stable country, and nothing will happen,” Nobakht said.
IRGC commander Muhammad Ali Jafari said Sunday that if Washington designated the Guards a terrorist organization, they "will consider the American army to be like Daesh all around the world.”
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Bahram Qasemi said Monday that Tehran would give a "firm, decisive and crushing” response if the United States goes ahead with such a plan.