Iran: Foreign Ministry hopes US won’t make ‘strategic mistake’ about IRGC

The Foreign Ministry of the Islamic Republic of Iran says it hopes the United States would not make the “strategic mistake” of designating the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) a “terrorist” organization; otherwise, it would have to be ready to face the consequences.

According to Press TV, speaking at the Foreign Ministry’s press briefing on Monday, Spokesman Bahram Qassemi said he hoped rationality would prevail in the US establishment and no such designation would take place.

“If, however, they (US officials) move toward making that decision, Iran’s response would definitely be firm, severe, and harsh, and in that case, I think the US would have to accept all responsibility for the decision,” Qassemi said.

He stressed that the Iranian response would come at the appropriate time and if the US proceeded to make such a decision.

On Sunday, Major General Mohammad Ali Jafari, the chief commander of the IRGC, warned that if the US designated the force as a “terrorist” organization, Iran would consider US troops as equal to Daesh terrorists and treat them accordingly.

Responding to a question about cooperation between Iran and Turkey regarding the Syrian conflict, Qassemi confirmed that Tehran and Ankara largely consulted with one another.

The two countries, he said, make the necessary consultations on a timely and regular basis.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan traveled to Iran last Wednesday, meeting with Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei and President Hassan Rouhani. Earlier, Turkish Chief of General Staff Hulusi Akar had visited Tehran to meet with Iranian officials, including Chief of Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces Major General Mohammad Baqeri.

Qassemi was also asked about reports coming out of Washington that President Donald Trump may be about to “decertify” Iranian compliance with a 2015 multilateral deal.

He said briefly that Iran would wait and see what action the US government would eventually take.

He did say however that European governments have informed Tehran that they would continue their cooperation with the Islamic Republic, apparently referring to trade ties.

He reiterated once again that Iran’s missile defense program was non-negotiable and was not in contravention of Resolution 2231, which endorsed the multilateral Iran deal.

Separately, a reporter asked Qassemi about Trump’s most recent anti-Iran remarks.

Speaking to the Trinity Broadcasting Network (TBN) in an interview that aired on Saturday night, Trump said, “I can tell you I’m very unhappy with the [Iran] deal… They're literally causing trouble, predominantly in the Middle East. I believe they’re funding North Korea.”

Qassemi said the accusations against Iran regarding its regional behavior and missile program, the nuclear deal, and Iranian relations with North Korea were “irrelevant, void, and false.”

“One of the new US administration’s strategic mistakes is that it makes irrelevant comments without the necessary knowledge and prudence,… which I think will ultimately be detrimental to the interests of the American people and government,” Qassemi said.

SS