Leading the news: Terrorist designation of Revolutionary Guards at issue

The United States and Iran have never been closer to an agreement to revive the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), or Iran nuclear deal, even as US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said today that he is “not overly optimistic” it will get done.

But whether the parties to the agreement can reach a signing ceremony in Vienna may hinge on a so-far-elusive solution to a legacy policy of the Trump administration: the designation of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) in Iran as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO).

Background

• One year ago this week, the Biden administration began indirect negotiations in Vienna to restore “compliance for compliance” with the JCPOA, first agreed upon in 2015 by the United States, the UK, France, Germany, Russia, China and Iran, as well as the EU. The core of the deal is sanctions relief for Iran in return for restraints on Iran’s nuclear programs.
• The Trump administration unilaterally withdrew from the deal in 2018, threatening sanctions on countries and companies doing business with Iran — an “us or them” approach — thereby squashing the economic gains of the JCPOA for Iran. In return, Iran expanded its nuclear programs beyond the constraints of the agreement.
•  In April 2019, the Trump administration designated the IRGC as an FTO, expanding already existing penalties for US persons and entities that deal with the IRGC. See the CRS report by Ken Katzman on Iran sanctions here.

Politics trumps compromise