Tehran will take reciprocal measures against a potential “strategic mistake” by US President Donald Trump to designate the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) as a terrorist organization, says Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif.
“If American officials make such a strategic mistake, the Islamic Republic of Iran will take a reciprocal measure,” Zarif said , adding, “Some measures have been thought out in this regard and will be taken at the appropriate time.”
Zarif’s remarks came a few days before the US president's expected announcement of a final decision on his Iran strategy.
The Iranian foreign minister warned that in case of such a move, the US would become more isolated and despicable among the Iranian people.
“The policy of Trump’s administration has been to deprive Iran of the JCPOA’s benefits, but through our policies, we will not allow the US to make such a move. We have been successful so far in this regard and will respond [to US actions] with proper measures in the future,” the top Iranian diplomat pointed out.
The IRGC chief commander, Major General Mohammad Ali Jafari, said on Sunday that Iran would treat US troops like Daesh terrorists if the IRGC was designated as a terrorist organization by the US.
In his planned speech on October 15, Trump is expected to designate the IRGC as a terrorist organization. Moreover, he is reportedly planning to announce that he will not certify the nuclear agreement, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), reached between Iran and the P5+1 group of countries in 2015.
Iran has been providing Syria and Iraq military advisory assistance in the fight against Daesh terrorists upon the two countries' request.
Many reports have emerged, including most recently on Monday, that the US is supplying weapons to terrorist groups inside Syria.
Secretary General of the Lebanese Hezbollah resistance movement, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, has recently said the United States is using its air force to protect Daesh militants from Syrian government forces. The Hezbollah leader said Syrian army soldiers and allied fighters from popular defense groups should mop up the country's territory of the Takfiri terrorists, otherwise the militants would continue their attacks.