Iran's Khamenei calls U.S. blacklisting of Guards a 'vicious move'

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Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said the United States had made "a vicious move" in designating the Revolutionary Guards as a foreign terrorist organization, and Tehran vowed to take action against U.S. forces in the region.

U.S. President Donald Trump's decision on Monday is likely to raise tensions in the Middle East.

"They wish to plot against our Sepah (the Guard corps) ... it is in the front line of confronting enemies of our (1979 Islamic) revolution and has always defended the country ... America has failed to block our advances," Khamenei was quoted as saying by the state media.

"In spite of all the pressure over the past 40 years, Americans have failed to do a damn thing and their vicious move will bear no fruit."

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani also defended the corps as protectors of Iran, saying in a televised speech that the United States "holds a grudge" against the Guards who have "sacrificed their lives to protect our people, our revolution."

Comprising an estimated 125,000-strong military with army, navy and air units, the Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC) also command the Basij, a religious volunteer paramilitary force, and control Iran's ballistic missile programs.

Members of the IRGC march during the annual military parade marking the anniversary of the outbreak of the 1980-1988 Iran-Iraq war in Tehran, Iran, September 22, 2018. /VCG Photo

The United States has already blacklisted dozens of entities and people for affiliations with the Guards, but not the organization as a whole.

The IRGC commander dismissed Washington's decision and said the Guards would upgrade their military capabilities.

"This U.S. move was quite laughable since the Revolutionary Guards are in people's hearts...The Revolutionary Guards will increase their defensive and offensive capabilities in the coming year," Mohammad Ali Jafari was quoted as saying by the state broadcaster.

The long-tense relations between Tehran and Washington took a turn for the worse last May when Trump pulled out of a 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and six world powers, reached before he took office, and reimposed sanctions.

Tehran retaliated by naming the United States Central Command (CENTCOM) as a terrorist organization and the U.S. government as a sponsor of terror.

The Iranian Armed Forces' general staff, the country's most senior military body which also oversees the IRGC, said it would "use all its means to fight" against CENTCOM, and a Guards commander on Tuesday warned the U.S. Navy to keep its distance.

"Mr Trump, tell your warships not to pass near the Revolutionary Guards boats," ISNA news agency reported a tweet from Mohsen Rezaei as saying.

(Top photo: Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei delivers a speech on the first day of Persian New Year, also known as Nowruz, in Mashhad, northeast of Tehran, Iran, March 21, 2019. /Reuters Photo)

Source(s): Reuters