Iran to Blacklist US Military If US Designates Revolutionary Guards as Terrorists

It is seen as extremely likely that the US will put Iran’s Revolutionary Guards on the US list of foreign terrorist organizations at some point in the next week. Iran, however, is likely to retaliate, according to top officials.

Iranian MP Heshmatollah Falahatpisheh, the head of their national security committee, says that Iran would respond to the move by putting the US military on the Iranian government’s own “blacklist” of terror groups, right next to ISIS.

In both cases, the practical impact of being added to such lists is likely to be minimal, as the US and Iran have so few economic ties after decades of acrimony that almost no one is liable to have to sever any business ties.

The biggest deal is the rhetorical move by the Trump Administration, which is likely to use a terror designation as another talking point as they continue to threaten military action. In that regard this is a continuation of the State Department claiming Iran had killed over 600 US soldiers during the occupation of Iraq.