![\"IRGC's](\"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2019\/04\/IRGCs_Terror_Designation_by_US_Could_Hurt_Irans_Economy.jpg\" "\\"IRGCs_Terror_Designation_by_US_Could_Hurt_Irans_Economy\\"")
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By\u00a0Shahriar Kia<\/p>\n
The US State Department\u2019s decision to place the Iranian regime\u2019s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) on their list of foreign terrorist organisations could substantially harm the regime\u2019s already damaged economy, according to analysts at the Institute for National Security Studies (INSS).<\/p>\n
The move forms part of the US\u2019s \u201cmaximum pressure\u201d campaign on Iran’s regime, which is designed to bring the mullahs back to the table for negotiations\u00a0over their\u00a0malign behaviour.<\/p>\n
Dr. Raz Zimmt, an expert on Iran at the INSS, said that the decision had \u201cthe potential to cause a lot of damage\u201d.<\/p>\n
The IRGC, which was created by Khomeini after the 1979 Islamic Revolution as his personal army, now controls around a third of the Iranian economy via subsidiaries and trusts, including its nuclear program, the oil, gas and telecommunications industries, and major infrastructure projects.<\/p>\n
However, it is completely possible for the US to make sure they only target the decision-makers. After all, large swathes of IRGC activity is already under sanctions, including\u00a0the regime’s missile and nuclear programs and the Quds Force, an elite armed wing of the IRGC.<\/p>\n
This move would still mark an escalation in the US\u2019s policy on Iran, even as the US prepares to place additional economic sanctions on Iran’s regime over the coming months for international aggression and human rights violations.<\/p>\n
Iranian affairs expert Dr Eldad Pardo said that this move would also increase the impact of economic sanctions that the US has already put in place.<\/p>\n
He said: \u201cIt\u2019s one thing to breach American sanctions, but it\u2019s another to support a terrorist organization, so it will add to the fears that some businesspeople feel when dealing with Iran. Basically, if you want to deal with Iran, you have to deal with the Revolutionary Guards because they are involved in everything.\u201d<\/p>\n
He continued: \u201cIt\u2019s not a smart business decision to invest in a country that is in direct confrontation with the United States. The great majority of the Iranian people want to stick with the nuclear deal; they want to open the economy; they want a transformation of the regime. This will add to that pressure.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
By Shahriar Kia The US State Department’s decision to place the Iranian regime’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) on their list of foreign terrorist organisations could substantially harm the regime’s already […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":17,"featured_media":52979,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[71],"tags":[178],"class_list":{"0":"post-26045","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-blog","8":"tag-save"},"yoast_head":"\n