President Donald Trump has been laying the groundwork for today’s designation of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a terrorist group for at least 18 months, a review of US statements shows.
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo himself suggested as much when he made the decision official, telling reporters at the State Department that the IRGC designation should “surprise no one” but rather “builds on” the administration’s sanctions against more than 970 Iranian businesses and individuals since the president took office.
