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President Trump's declaration that Iran's Islamic
Revolutionary Guard Corps is a foreign terrorist organization is the
first time the United States government has designated a part of
another country's military as that type of threat. In doing so, Mr.
Trump took broad aim at a pillar of the Iranian state, which exerts
enormous influence in politics and the economy as well as in Iran's
internal and external military policies. Mr. Trump said the
Revolutionary Guard Corps "actively participates in, finances and
promotes terrorism as a tool of statecraft."
Standard Chartered STAN +0.83% PLC on
Tuesday agreed to pay $1.1 billion to settle allegations it violated
sanctions on Iran and other countries, marking the end of a
long-running probe by U.S. and U.K. regulators that had weighed
on the bank's share price. The U.K.-based bank took a $900
million provision earlier this year to help cover the
settlement. It is one of the largest settlements paid by a bank over
alleged sanctions violations, although it is far smaller than the
$8.9 billion French bank BNP Paribas paid in penalties in
2014.
The U.S. Central Command, or CENTCOM, was
labeled a terrorist group on Monday
by Iran's Supreme National Security Council, according
to state television. The council said in a statement,
reported by Fars News Agency, that it had designated the Middle
East-based military group and all of its forces as
terrorists and also labeled the U.S. a "supporter
of terrorism." The move came hours after the Trump
administration labeled Iran's Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC)
a foreign terrorist organization.
UANI IN THE NEWS
United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI) said that the move
sends a warning not only to the IRGC itself, but also to those who
may want to work with the terrorist entity. "The IRGC's
designation as the terrorists they are should serve as a major
warning to any business investing in Iran and will deny Tehran the
financial assistance it needs to realize its hegemonic
ambitions," said UANI chairman and former Sen. Joseph I.
Lieberman and CEO Ambassador Mark Wallace in a statement.
Iran's Supreme National Security Council is taking
retaliatory steps after President Donald Trump announced on Monday
that the U.S. will designate Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps
(IRGC) as a 'foreign terrorist organization'. Iran now says it will
designate U.S. Central Command as a 'terrorist organization'.
The IRGC designation will impose economic sanctions, visa
restrictions and legal penalties against those who provide support to
the group. Some former U.S. officials have warned against the
imposing of sanctions the U.S., warning that it could move the U.S.
closer to war with Iran. The Cipher Brief talked with the former
National Intelligence Manager for Iran at ODNI, Norm Roule, about
what the designation means and what other likely responses to expect
from Iran.
NUCLEAR DEAL & NUCLEAR PROGRAM
The Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), achieved
in 2015 between Iran and the world powers, was neither a "second
Holocaust" nor "a diplomatic success worthy of the Nobel
Prize." Like Pharaoh's biblical dream, the agreement heralded
"seven good years" to be followed by "seven very bad
years." The JCPOA had some immediate benefits, mainly in the
rollback of the Iranian nuclear program and the 10-year slowdown, but
also dangerous drawbacks...
SANCTIONS, BUSINESS RISKS, & OTHER ECONOMIC
NEWS
The U.S.-Iran crude oil sanctions merry-go-round is
starting to spin again with Asian crude buyers fretting over whether
they will be allowed to continue imports from Tehran. The U.S.
waivers on imports by eight of Iran's top customers are due to expire
early next month, and indications are that Washington may be
considering a tougher line.
MISSILE PROGRAM
Iran said on Tuesday it would press ahead with the
launch of three satellites into orbit this year despite a U.S. move
to curb Tehran's ballistic missile program which Washington says has
been advanced by the satellite activity. U.S. President Donald
Trump said on Monday he would name Iran's elite Islamic Revolutionary
Guard Corps a terrorist organization, a move partly intended to curb
the Islamic Republic's development of ballistic missiles.
Iran's President Hassan Rouhani has hit back at the
United States following the Trump administration's announced decision
to designate the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a
"terrorist group." Turning President Donald Trump's
accusation against the elite branch of the Iranian military on its
head, Rouhani said in a Tuesday address that the U.S. is the
"leader of global terrorism." "You use terrorist
groups against the peoples of the region and yet claim to have
been fighting terrorism?" Rouhani asked, according to Iran's
Fars News Agency. "You are at the top of terrorism in the entire
world."
U.S.-IRAN RELATIONS & NEGOTIATIONS
An Iranian diplomat who helped to negotiate the 2015
nuclear agreement will be Iran's ambassador to the United Nations,
state media said Tuesday, filling a vacancy that had lasted five
months. The appointment of the envoy, Majid Takht Ravanchi, 60, was
considered a sign that Iran will try to preserve the agreement, even
though the Trump administration has renounced it, reimposing onerous
sanctions and taking other steps to isolate the country.
Iran's leaders Tuesday warned the United States of
serious repercussions after it designated the elite Revolutionary
Guard Corps a terrorist organization. President Trump on
Monday announced the decision against the Revolutionary
Guard, Iran's most potent military force, describing the move as a
way to "expand the scope and scale of our maximum pressure on
the Iranian regime." The decision would allow the Trump
administration to seek criminal penalties against elements
of the Guard, one of the most revered institutions in Iran.
President Donald Trump's administration has named Iran's
Revolutionary Guard Corps a terrorist organization, the first
time the U.S. has applied that designation to a part of another
government. The Revolutionary Guard is officially the protector of
the Islamic revolution and also wields significant economic might.
Scholars estimate that the Guard controls from 20 percent to 40
percent of Iran's economy.
France called on Tuesday for avoiding any escalation of
tensions in the Middle East region after U.S. President Donald Trump
said he would name Iran's elite Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps a
terrorist organization. Asked about the U.S. move, the French foreign
ministry replied in an electronic press briefing that France remained
committed to the 2015 Iran nuclear deal. "We urge people to
avoid escalating tensions or destabilizing the region," the
ministry added.
Politicians in Iran wore uniforms of the
Revolutionary Guards in parliament on Tuesday in protest at the US
decision to classify the nation's military wing as a foreign
terrorist organisation. There were chants of "Death to
America" as the president, Hassan Rouhani, declared the
force was "dearer than ever in the hearts of the Iranian
nation" and announced countermeasures against the US.
IRANIAN INTERNAL DEVELOPMENTS
On April 8, the Trump administration designated the
Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), Iran's elite military
force, as a foreign terrorist organization. The reaction in Tehran
was stern and swift. From Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, who
called the designation evidence of American "rancor" and
helplessness against the IRGC, to members of the Iranian parliament
who put on IRGC uniforms to show solidarity with the organization,
the authorities in Iran have leaped to show unity in the face of a
historic U.S. decision.
RUSSIA, SYRIA, ISRAEL, HEZBOLLAH, LEBANON & IRAN
The media experts who help assist Iranian Foreign
Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif decided that the best narrative for
Iran, in the wake of the US designating the Islamic Revolutionary
Guard Corps as a terrorist organization, was to blame Israel. Blaming
Israel and Netanyahu specifically for the listing has now been Zarif's
main talking point within the last day.
Moscow will host a trilateral meeting today between the
foreign affairs committees of the parliaments of Turkey, Russia and
Iran. The meeting is being held for the first time at the
parliamentary level at Turkey's suggestion to contribute to regional
peace, security and stability, said a statement by the Turkish
parliamentary committee.
GULF STATES, YEMEN & IRAN
Houthi rebels fired a ballistic missile at a populated
area near Dhalea in southern Yemen on Tuesday evening. The rocket
missed its target and fell over a farm in the Sanaa area, north of
the province of Dhalea, and caused significant damage. No casualties
were reported. There has been fierce clashes in northern Dhalea over
the past two weeks between the Iran-backed Houthis and pro-government
forces, with fighting taking place on four fronts.
IRAQ & IRAN
Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi said on Tuesday
that Washington's decision to designate Iran's Revolutionary Guards a
terrorist group "could have negative repercussions on Iraq and
the region". "Iraq tried to stop the decision,"
Abdul Mahdi told reporters during his weekly news conference, adding
that Iraq would use all of its efforts to bring calm to the region
since it maintains good relations with both Tehran and Washington.
As the Trump administration's decision to
designate Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a
"foreign terrorist organization" comes into action, eyes
ought to be on areas of common influence, where both Iran and
the United States are present and active, whether politically or
militarily. And while countries such as Lebanon, Syria and
Afghanistan are emerging as potential fields of confrontation -
directly or by proxy - Iraq remains perhaps the most ripe and
ready of fronts given the US military presence...
Tehran has been able to capitalize on
sectarian ties with some Iraqi parties and armed groups with an
eye toward gaining an advantage over the United States and
perhaps even Iran's archrival Saudi Arabia, which has been drawing
closer to Baghdad in the past two years. Now Iran is
working to build relationships with Iraq's tribal leaders in an
attempt to gain influence and ensure a greater footing in the
country. Iran's and Iraq's central governments are largely run by Shiite
Muslims, while Saudi Arabia's government is run by Sunnis.
TURKEY & IRAN
Turkey on Tuesday condemned the US move to designate
Iran's elite Revolutionary Guards a "terrorist group",
saying the decision would create "instability" in the
region. Washington's move against the Revolutionary Guards was the
first time that the United States has branded part of a foreign
government a terrorist group. "These kinds of decisions will
pave the way for instability in our region," Turkish Foreign
Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu told reporters in Ankara.
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