[Washington Examiner] The United States has decided to designate the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps a foreign terrorist organization under section 219 of the Immigration and Nationality Act. This is a major step toward effectively countering Tehran’s systemic use of terrorism as a tool of statecraft. It is also welcome news for the Iranian people, whose efforts over 40 years to bring about change have been violently suppressed at every turn by the Guard.The Guard certainly meets the three criteria under 8 U.S.C. 1189 for the terrorism designation: It is a "foreign" organization which "engages in terrorism or terrorist activity or retains the capability and intent to engage in terrorism or terrorist activity" and "threatens American nationals or the national security of the United States."
Mischaracterized by some as a state-run military, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps does not even include the word "Iran" in its name. It recognizes no boundaries. Rather, as "guardian" of the "Islamic Revolution," it answers only to the supreme leader and operates independently of the regular military. It is the core apparatus of repression, the primary driver of war and export of terrorism, and it runs Iran’s nuclear weapons and missile projects. The Guard also controls the lion’s share of Iran’s economy.