US: We Will Confront the IRGC’s Destructive Role in the Region Alongside Israel
One day after Iran’s president threatened to strike Israel’s ‘center’, the US State Department spokesperson said Israel’s security is ‘sacred’ to the United States, and America, alongside Israel and other regional partners, will “use every appropriate tool to counter the IRGC’s destructive role in the region.”
Ned Price also rejected Iran’s government claims about America’s role in halting JCPOA revival talks, stating that if Iran wants to use nuclear negotiations to address “issues outside the JCPOA”, it must also address America’s concerns outside the agreement.
In recent weeks, delisting the IRGC from the US terrorist list has been cited as the most significant obstacle to negotiations.
Officials of the Islamic Republic of Iran have raised the IRGC’s removal from the terrorist list as a last-minute request during negotiations.
Joseph Borrell, the EU’s foreign policy chief, said on April 28th that this issue “has nothing to do with the JCPOA” and accused Iran of complicating JCPOA revival talks by requesting “guarantees regarding the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps.”
The prospect of delisting the IRGC has been met with negative reactions from America’s allies, particularly Israel, Republican politicians in the US, and opponents of Iran’s government.
Critics say “the IRGC is an instrument of terrorism abroad and suppression of people in Iran’s streets, protects religious dictatorship in Iran, and continues to obstruct human rights improvements in Iran” and should not be removed from such a list.
Despite these objections, according to media reports, US government officials have said that if Iran’s government provides public guarantees to reduce regional tensions and, on the other hand, halts the operational pursuit of the case of Qasem Soleimani’s killing, they would agree to such a request.
This request, however, has met with negative reactions in public statements by Iran’s government officials. Yesterday, Saeed Khatibzadeh, spokesman for Iran’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said that pursuit of the case of Qasem Soleimani’s killing is “a fundamental principle in Iran’s foreign policy.”
Ned Price, the US State Department spokesperson, also stated that America’s preference is success in negotiations and JCPOA revival, but “the United States has prepared itself for both scenarios of negotiation success and failure.”
The JCPOA revival negotiations, which took place in Vienna for over a year with Iran’s participation, signatory countries to the JCPOA, and America’s indirect involvement, have been stalled since mid-March of last year, and the parties involved in negotiations have yet to provide a clear timeline for when a final decision on the success or failure of negotiations will be made.
Source: Radio Farda
