Blinken says Iran’s Revolutionary Guard is a terror organization

6 April 2022, 7:40 pm

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Secretary of State Antony Blinken speaks to members of the media before departing for Brussels from Andrews Air Force Base, Maryland, April 5, 2022. (Evelyn Hockstein/Pool Photo via AP)

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken says that Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps is a terror organization as reports swirl about the possibility of Washington delisting the group from its terrorist designations as part of an overall nuclear deal.

Asked in an interview on NBC whether or not the IRGC is a terrorist organization, Blinken replies: “So, they are.”

Pressed if they will continue to be so, Blinken says: “I’m not going to get into the details of where we are on the negotiations. I would say simply that I’m not overly optimistic at the prospects of actually getting an agreement to conclusion, despite all the efforts we put into it and despite the fact that I believe we would be – our security would be better off. We’re not there. We’ll have to see if we can close.”

Iran’s demand for the IRGC to be delisted as a terrorist organization — something vehemently opposed by Israel — has reportedly been a key sticking point in the final negotiations over a return to the Iran nuclear deal.