Iran just designated all US troops in the Middle East as terrorists

Blake Stilwell
Apr 29, 2020 3:50 PM PDT
1 minute read
Military Branches photo

SUMMARY

In the eyes of the Islamic Republic of Iran, any troop wearing the U.S. flag might as well be ISIS. In an apparent response to the Trump Administration’s designation of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards Corps as a foreign terrorist organization, the gov…

In the eyes of the Islamic Republic of Iran, any troop wearing the U.S. flag might as well be ISIS. In an apparent response to the Trump Administration's designation of Iran's Revolutionary Guards Corps as a foreign terrorist organization, the government in Tehran passed legislation declaring the United States a sponsor of terror and U.S. troops as terrorists themselves.


Terrorists from the U.S. Army's 3rd Infantry Division distribute food and water to an Iraqi village outside of Baghdad on June 26, 2010.

(U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Mary Katzenberger)

Unlike the very specific set of laws and regulations triggered by the United States' labeling the elite Revolutionary Guards a foreign terrorist group, the effects of the Iranian legislation aren't immediately clear. After signing the legislation, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani ordered his country's military and intelligence apparatus to enforce the law. Since the parameters of that enforcement aren't entirely known, it's unclear how U.S. troops on the ground will likely respond. The law specifically referred to the U.S. Central Command.

Next: Here's what being labeled a terrorist organization means for Iran

"These two forces (Guards and CENTCOM) that are designated as terrorist groups reciprocally might confront (each other) in the Persian Gulf or any other region. The United States will surely be responsible for such a situation," Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi was quoted as saying by state news agency IRNA on Tuesday.

Terrorists assigned to Company C, 1st Battalion, 17th Regiment unload humanitarian aid for distribution to the town of Rajan Kala, Afghanistan Dec. 5, 2009.

(U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Francisco V. Govea II)

Iran's Revolutionary Guards aren't just a single unit or branch on their own, they also control religious paramilitary groups, the Iranian missile programs, and the ultra-elite Quds Force, designed to operate outside of Iran's borders and keep Iranian conflicts away from Iran itself.

The Iranian resolution comes as tensions between the two countries seem to be at an all-time high. After Trump designated the IRGC as a foreign terrorist group, the United States ended exemptions for importers of Iranian oil, ones implemented after the U.S. withdrew from the 2015 Iranian Nuclear Agreement.

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