White House weighs designating Iran’s Revolutionary Guard a terrorist group

Reuters ^ | Feb. 8, 2017

[deplorableindc]

U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration is considering a proposal that could lead to potentially designating Iran’s powerful Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a terrorist organization, according to U.S. officials familiar with the matter.

The officials said several U.S. government agencies have been consulted about such a proposal, which if implemented would add to measures the United States has already imposed on individuals and entities linked to the IRGC.

The IRGC is by far Iran’s most powerful security entity, which also has control over large stakes in Iran’s economy and huge influence in its political system.

[AC Beach Patrol]

Just throw some money around and get that changed. Take the lesson from MEK (Mujahedeen-e-Khalq, previously called a “cult-like” terrorist group by the State Department). MEK got itself removed from the terror list by just funneling big bucks to lobbyists and politicians. Elaine Chao, the DOT Secy and Mitch McConnell's wife, made $50k for a 5-minute speech before MEK. Guliani got big bucks for a short speech. Now, the irony is that MEK (along with other ME entities) is behind the push to vilify other elements of the Iranian regime. I don't know if these groups should be targeted by the U.S. Gov't, I just know I'm a little apprehensive if there is any input from a special interest group throwing money around Washington and buying off politicians. I'd feel this way even if the group's interests coincided with my own.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2012/sep/21/iran-mek-group-removed-us-terrorism-list

[piasa]

The IRGC is the worst of the worst. They don’t need to be “villified” because they are the thug enforcers that support the regime, villainous by nature, serving to keep Iran’s professional military under constant fear so that regime need not be so fearful of an organized coup from within its military.
They’re often not even Persian- the regime has a distrust of true Persians and uses these minority players because little comraderie will grow between them and the majority Persians.
Like Hugo Chavez’s importation of Cuban agents to support his regime against native Venezuelan police, Iran’s IRGC imports foreigners and trains them en masse, both against its enemies abroad and its enemies at home.