Pentagon general deplores removing IRGC Quds Force off terror list
Milley's personal opinion is to keep, particularly, Iran's Quds Force on the terror list.
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Pentagon general deplores removing IRGC Quds Force off terror list
The Pentagon's top general, Mark Milley, vocalized that he was against the delisting of the IRGC as a "terrorist organization".
“In my personal opinion, I believe the IRGC Quds Force to be a terrorist organization, and I do not support them being delisted from the foreign terrorist organization list,” said Milley in a congressional hearing.
What was noticeable is Milley's particular singling out of the IRGC Quds Force - whose former commander was assassinated martyr, Qassem Soleimani - at a time when Washington contemplates removing the IRGC off the terror list altogether.
Removing the IRGC off the US terror list, to Tehran, is a main condition for the restoration of the 2015 nuclear deal, which was obstructed by former US President Donald Trump in 2018. Trump designated the IRGC as a Foreign Terrorist Organization after withdrawing from the deal.
Israelis panic
While Washington discusses removing the IRGC from the terror list, "Israel" tries everything to obstruct the decision.
Israel Hayom expects that "Israel" will continue to make strong statements against the Biden administration's intent to remove the IRGC from its terror list, saying that even if this leads to foiling the deal in Congress, "Israel" will continue to publicly oppose the nuclear deal.
It noted that it is expected that the Israeli opposition will make it harder for the deal to be approved in Congress, and that "Israel's" political leadership believes removing the IRGC from the list is "unethical", and that it jeopardizes the lives of Israelis and others.
Read more: "Israel" pleads with US to keep IRGC on 'terror list'
The US administration is currently considering the removal of Iran's Islamic Revolution Guard Corps from its terror blacklist in exchange for a commitment from Iran to "de-escalate" in the region, according to Axios.
One of the remaining points in the Vienna Talks is the removal of IRGC's designation as a terror group. The terror designation means that criminal penalties would be imposed on anyone doing business with any individual or entity connected to the IRGC.
Furthermore, Israeli media reported a source close to the US administration as saying that "Former President Donald Trump's decision in 2019 to put Iran's Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) on the list was a dangerous and short-sighted move."
The same source added that the move prioritized rhetoric over the security of the US and its partnership, stressing that including the IRGC on the list had increased Iran's hostility.
In the same context, the Israeli Channel KAN reported that "the Gulf countries have called on the White House not to remove the IRGC from the list.
On his account, Channel 12's political analyst Amit Segal affirmed that “Israel” is not alone in calling on Biden to refrain from removing IRGC from the terrorist list."
Last Sunday, Israeli PM Naftali Bennett expressed hope that the decision will not go through.
“We are still hoping and working toward preventing this from happening,” he said.
