Analysis by Trita Parsi
WASHINGTON (IPS) - The White House's decision to designate the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps as a terrorist organisation could deal a double blow to efforts to utilise diplomacy with Iran to stabilise Iraq.
Not only does the designation risk undermining the important yet limited talks between the United States and Iran in Baghdad, but it may also negatively impact the next U.S. president's ability to seek diplomacy with Iran by further entrenching U.S.-Iran relations in a paradigm of enmity.
The Washington Post and New York Times reported Tuesday that the George W. Bush administration is going to designate the Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), Iran's 125,000-strong elite military branch, as a "specially designated global terrorist" under Executive Order 13224, due to the organisation's alleged destabilising activities in Iraq and elsewhere in the Middle East.
The designation would authorise the United States to target the IRGC's business dealings, including blocking its assets.
Full story: U.S./Iran: Terror Label for Guard Corp Entrenches US-Iran Enmity
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