INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
By Sanya Burgess, news reporter The US has designated Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as a terrorist organisation, prompting Iran
to do the same to America's military
President Donald Trump's decision to sanction the IRGC, which is a branch of Iran's Armed Forces, is designed to increase pressure on the
country.It is the first time the US has designated an official body of another country as a terrorist organisation."This unprecedented step,
led by the Department of State, recognises 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," Mr Trump said in a statement.Iran's state TV says the move is
illegal.Image:The IRGC was founded after Iran's 1979 Islamic RevolutionWithout quoting a specific official, the channel said: "No other
country has the legal right to designate as terrorist another country's armed forces Iran's influence in the Middle East and its success in
fighting against Islamic State are reasons behind this designation."Shortly after the announcement was made, in a tit-for-tat response,
Iran's Supreme Security Council designated America's military forces as a terrorist organisation.The IRGC was founded after Iran's 1979
Islamic Revolution and answers only to Iran's supreme leader, currently Ali Khamenei.It operates independently of the regular military and
has wide-ranging economic interests across the country.The designation, which will come into effect next week, imposes sanctions on the
group.Any assets the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps may have in US jurisdictions will be frozen and Americans will be banned from doing
business with it.People who have provided the group with support will potentially be barred from entering the US.If no waivers are included
in the designation the move is likely to complicate diplomacy in the region, with figures from other counties who interact with the Guard
potentially being barred from talking to US authorities or troops.Writing in Hebrew, Israel's prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu tweeted
support for Mr Trump's decision, saying: "Thank you, my dear friend for having decided to announce Iran's Revolutionary Guards as a
Thank you for the answer to another important request that serves the interests of our country and the region."We will continue to act
together in any way against the Iranian regime that threatens the state of Israel, the United States and the peace of the world."The
clampdown on the Guard is the latest in a series of actions the US has taken against Iran since Mr Trump became president in 2016, most
notably withdrawing from a nuclear deal.
