The endless battle of wits between the United States of America and Iran took another dimension on Monday.
April 8, 2019 would go down as a memorable day in the history of
modern diplomacy/international relations and it would mark the beginning
of a seminal discourse/research in academic endeavours.
On this day, the USA for the first time
formally labelled a foreign
military as a terrorist – the President Donald Trump-led administration
designated “Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) including
its Qods Force, as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) under Section
219 of the Immigration and Nationality Act.”
According to the White House statement, “This unprecedented step, led
by the Department of State, 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. The IRGC is the Iranian government’s primary means of
directing and implementing its global terrorist campaign.
“This designation will be the first time that the United States has
ever named a part of another government as a FTO. It underscores the
fact that Iran’s actions are fundamentally different from those of other
governments. This action will significantly expand the scope and scale
of our maximum pressure on the Iranian regime. 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.
“This action sends a clear message to Tehran that its support for
terrorism has serious consequences. We will continue to increase
financial pressure and raise the costs on the Iranian regime for its
support of terrorist activity until it abandons its malign and outlaw
behavior.”
But in a swift reaction, Iran’s Supreme National Security Council in a
statement formally designated USA Central Command (CENTCOM) as a
“terrorist organization.”
Accusing the United States of being “a supporter of terrorism,” the
Council announced its decision to add CENTCOM – along with “affiliated
forces” – to its list of “terrorist” entities.
The Iran’s Security Council attacked USA, describing the Washington’s
decision as “baseless,” which “endangers regional and global peace and
violates UN resolutions.”
Iran pointed out that it “has fought terrorist groups such as Daesh, Al-Qaeda and the Al-Nusra Front.”
IRGC was initially established to serve as the vanguard of Iran’s 1979 revolution.
It currently enjoys more autonomy than the rest of the Iranian
military, answering only to Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali
Khamenei.
IRGC is also solely responsible for Iran’s formidable ballistic missile programme.
The US pronouncement on Monday would definitely change the face of
international relations in the Middle East and the world generally.
The Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has lauded Trump for
his decision, saying: “Thank you, President Donald Trump for your
decision to designate the Islamic revolutionary guards as a terrorist
organization. Once again you are keeping the world safe from Iran
aggression and terrorism.”
This may not be the same with some government officials in Iraq,
Lebanon and others, who are constantly in contact with the IRGC
representatives.
The White House decision has thus opened the door for a potential
criminal prosecution of individuals who do business with the IRGC.
Should the pronouncements by USA and Iran be taken on a face value?
Would the White House decision ultimately lead to a military action
against the Khamenei administration? Can the world afford another round
of war?
While some countries would want to stand up against USA and support
Iran all in the name of national sovereignty. Some others may go with
the USA and support a military action against Iran.
One thing that is crystal clear: all is not well in the global
diplomatic circle – the impending dangers are better imagined than
experienced.
● Additional reports from the agencies.
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