More Reality Recognition on Iran – Wall Street Journal Editorial
The Trump Administration said Monday it will designate Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) a foreign terrorist organization. While this will upset those who want to do business with Iran, it’s a welcome recognition of reality.
The IRGC is a branch of the Iranian military with some 125,000 personnel loyal to Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. It controls much of the national economy, including construction, banking and telecommunications, and it oversees the regime’s ballistic-missile program.
The IRGC’s Quds Force trains terrorists and exports weapons throughout the Middle East. The State Department estimates the IRGC spends $1 billion a year backing militias in Iraq, Syria, Yemen and elsewhere. The IRGC was responsible for killing hundreds of Americans with roadside bombs during the Iraq war. It produced “shape charges” for Shiite militias that cut through even the best U.S. armor.
This is the first time the U.S. has labeled a state actor as a foreign terrorist organization but it isn’t a rash decision. The U.S. has recognized Iran as a state sponsor of terrorism for 35 years. In 2017 the Treasury Department placed sanctions on the IRGC for its terrorist activities…