Tehran designates CENTCOM as 'terrorist organization'

By Muhammet Kursun</p> <p>TEHRAN (AA) – Iran’s Supreme National Security Council on Monday formally designated U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) as a “terrorist organization”.</p> <p>Accusing the U.S. of being “a supporter of terrorism”, the council announced its decision to add CENTCOM — along with “affiliated forces” — to its list of “terrorist” entities in a Monday statement.</p> <p>The move comes in ostensible retaliation for a U.S. decision — announced only hours earlier — to designate Iran's Revolutionary Guards Corps (RGC) as a “foreign terrorist organization”.</p> <p>In its statement, Iran’s security council blasted Washington’s “baseless” decision, which, it asserted, “endangers regional and global peace and violates UN resolutions”.</p> <p>Iran’s RGC, it went on to point out, “has fought terrorist groups such as Daesh, Al-Qaeda and the Al-Nusra Front”.</p> <p>The U.S. move marks the first time for a government agency to be formally designated as a “terrorist organization”.</p> <p>Iran’s powerful RGC was initially established to serve as the vanguard of Iran's 1979 revolution.</p> <p>It currently enjoys more autonomy than the rest of the Iranian military, answering only to Iran's supreme leader.</p> <p>The RGC is also solely responsible for Iran's formidable ballistic missile program.</p> <p>Monday's action by the U.S. opens the door for the potential criminal prosecution of individuals who do business with the RGC. </p> <p>It could serve to hinder U.S. diplomacy, however, particularly in Iraq and Lebanon, where local officials are in regular contact with RGC representatives.