Iran blacklists US forces in West Asia as 'terrorist group'

Iran's Supreme National Security Council on Monday announced US Central Command forces in West Asia as "terrorist group," the official IRNA news agency reported.

Iran's Supreme National Security Council considers the US government as the "sponsor of terrorism" and announces the US Central Command and its affiliated forces in West Asia as a "terrorist group," according to a statement by the council.

"Iran strongly condemns the illegal and dangerous move by the US to designate the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) a foreign terrorist organisation," it added.

This "baseless" US measure vis-a-vis the IRGC endangers peace and security in the region and the world, and "it is an ostensible violation of international law and the UN charter," it noted, Xinhua reported.

"While the US and its allies supported the extremist and terrorist groups in West Asia, the IRGC has been in the forefront of battle against terrorism and extremism in the region," it said.

Washington should be blamed for "all the dangerous consequences of its adventurous measure" by blacklisting the IRGC, the statement added.

US President Donald Trump said on Monday that the US designates the IRGC as a "foreign terrorist organisation," a move that will further worsen US-Iran relations and is expected to further complicate the Middle East situation.

"Today, I am formally announcing my Administration's plan to designate IRGC, including its Qods Force, as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) under Section 219 of the Immigration and Nationality Act," Trump said in a statement issued by the White House.

--IANS

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