Posts
Iran: ‘All options are on table’ if US blacklists Revolutionary Guards
RT,
10
October, 2017
Tehran
has once again warned Washington against designating the elite wing
of the Iranian Army, the Revolutionary Guards, as a terrorist group,
saying that “all options are on the table,” according to a top
aide to Iran’s supreme leader.
“Whatever
they do we will take reciprocal measures. All options are on the
table,” Ali
Akbar Velayati, senior adviser to Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei
said on Tuesday, Reuters reports citing Isna news agency.
The
aide went on to accuse Washington of supporting Islamic State (IS,
formerly ISIS\ISIL) terrorists.
Iran’s
statements mirror those of the US, with President Donald Trump having
recently accused the Islamic Republic of supporting terrorism.
Even ‘10 Trumps’ cannot deprive Iran of nuclear deal benefits – Rouhani
“The
Iranian regime supports terrorism and exports violence, bloodshed and
chaos across the Middle East. That is why we must put an end to
Iran’s continued aggression and nuclear
ambitions,”Trump told senior
US military officials on October 5.
Reports
of the possible designation of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps
(IRGC) as a terrorist group, among other measures against Tehran,
emerged amid concerns that Trump may refuse to recertify the 2015
nuclear deal.
Following
the reports, the IRGC chief warned that it may equate US troops to
Islamic State terrorists “if
the news is correct about the stupidity of the American
government.” On
Monday, Iran promised a “firm,
decisive and crushing” reaction.
Meanwhile,
the Iranian army vowed it would teach Washington “new
lessons” to
make it “understand
the new meaning of power in the world,” according
to the deputy chief of staff of the Iranian armed forces, Brigadier
General Massoud Jazayeri.
By
October 15, Trump is scheduled to recertify the Iranian nuclear
agreement, officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action
(JCPOA), which limits Iran’s nuclear program for 15 years in
exchange for easing the pre-existing sanctions. The document was
signed in 2015 by Iran, the P5+1 group (China, France, Germany,
Russia, the UK, and the US) and the European Union.
However,
Trump has been skeptical about the deal, vowing to scrap it during
his presidential campaign and later accusing Iran of violations. If
he decides against recertification, it will go to Congress, which
will have to decide whether to re-impose sanctions on Tehran.
Tehran
has repeatedly denied any violation of the nuclear agreement and
warned against pulling out of the deal. Possible annulment of the
nuclear agreement has also caused concerns among other parties to it,
with the EU stressing that striking the long-negotiated deal belongs
to the international community, not just the US.
On
Monday, the head of Iran’s nuclear agency, Ali Akbar Salehi, said
that the scrapping of the deal would influence more“the
entire international community than the national interests of
Iran,” AP
reports.
Iran
‘Will Respond’ if US Moves to Designate Revolutionary Guard as
‘Terrorist Group’
10
October, 2017
Fresh
off its humiliating six-year-long debacle in Syria, and with very few
viable wars within its grasp, the Pentagon, along with the Israeli
Lobby-led US Congress and Senate – are now trying to tighten the
noose on Iran.
For
the last 3 weeks, hawkish Republican Senators have been pressuring
President Donald Trump to “decertify” the Iran nuclear deal in
October, and to reimpose harsh sanctions – despite the fact that
Iran is in full compliance with the international P5+1 brokered
nuclear containment agreement.
According
to the terms of the deal as recognized by Congress, the President
must re-certify the deal every 90 days.
LITTLE
MARCO: It’s clear that Marco Rubio is firmly in the pocket of the
Israeli Lobby.
Chief
among the Israeli-led Senators is Florida Senator Marco
Rubio.
During the Presidential campaign, Rubio was humiliated by Trump who
dubbed him “Little Marco.” Soon after, the slighted Senator was
forced to drop out of the race due to a lack of support for his
campaign.
On
its face, Trump and the Israel First hawks’ policy to crush the
JCPOA Nuclear Agreement makes little sense. Business
Insider explains:
John
Glaser and Emma Ashford respond to
Trump’s latest attack on the nuclear deal: Iran is clearly abiding
by the deal’s requirements, as President Trump himself has twice
formally acknowledged. But the President appears determined to ignore
U.S. allies, his own intelligence community and the International
Atomic Energy Agency, which has affirmed eight separate times in
detailed reports that Iran is in compliance with the deal.
As
is usually the case, the US hawks (also supported by Iran’s
economic and geopolitical regional rival Saudi Arabia) are hoping to
trigger retaliatory rhetoric from the Iranian hawks – and use those
words to justify a call for escalation of tension, and a full range
of new sanctions against Iran:
This
desire to withdraw from the JCPOA is difficult to explain. Whatever
Trump’s reasoning, this much is clear: All of America’s options
outside the JCPOA carry unacceptably high risks and threaten to
exacerbate the very behavior Iran hawks hope to forestall.
Desperate
to fabricate their case against Iran, the US (instructed by the
Israeli Lobby) are now trying to brand Iran’s military as an
international “terrorist” organisation.
RT
International reports…
Iran
has vowed a “firm and crushing” reaction should Washington decide
to include the elite wing of its army, the Islamic Revolutionary
Guard Corps (IRGC), on its list of terrorist organizations, according
to the country’s foreign ministry.
The
comments came from Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Bahram Qasemi
on Monday as cited by Tasnim news agency.
“We
are hopeful that the United States does not make this strategic
mistake,” Qasemi
stated during a news conference.
“If
they do, Iran’s reaction would be firm, decisive and crushing,” he
said, adding that the US would have to accept the consequences.
Earlier
it was reported that Washington is preparing tougher sanctions on
Tehran, including the possible designation of the Islamic
Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a terrorist group.
US
President Donald Trump has taken a tough stance on the Islamic
Republic, criticizing it for supporting terrorism and vowing to “put
an end to Iran’s continued aggression and nuclear ambitions.”
On
Sunday, IRGC chief Mohammad Ali Jafari warned that if the reports are
confirmed, the military wing will treat US troops, especially in the
Middle East, as they would Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL)
terrorists.
“If
the news is correct about the stupidity of the American government in
considering the Revolutionary Guards a terrorist group, then the
Revolutionary Guards will consider the American Army to be like
Islamic State all around the world, particularly in the Middle
East,” Jafari
stated.
Washington’s
reported threats have prompted France to speak against actions
that “could
exacerbate the current crises” in
the face of “regional
instability.”
“With
this in mind, regional states have a specific role to play and must
show restraint and a sense of responsibility,” French
Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Agnes Romatet-Espagne stressed, when
asked whether Paris would endorse such a step.
The
landmark Iranian nuclear agreement, officially known as the Joint
Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), was signed by the P5+1 group
(China, France, Germany, Russia, the UK, and the US) and the European
Union in 2015. According to the deal, Iran is to limit its nuclear
program for 15 years in exchange for easing the pre-existing
sanctions.
During
his election campaign Trump repeatedly vowed to scrap the agreement,
and during his presidency he has continued to accuse Iran of
violating the “spirit” of the deal. This week the US leader is
expected to re-certify the agreement, but there are concerns that he
may decide to stick to his campaign promises.
Other
parties to the agreement, including Germany and the EU, have voiced
concerns over the possible scuppering of the deal.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: only a member of this blog may post a comment.