Axios: Iran Rejects US Condition for Removing IRGC from Terrorism List

The American website Axios reported Wednesday evening, citing “two informed American sources” and an Israeli official, that the Islamic Republic of Iran has rejected the US condition for removing the Revolutionary Guards from the list of terrorist organizations.

According to Axios, while the agreement to revive the JCPOA is “almost complete,” Iran’s request to the US President to remove the IRGC from the terrorism list remains one of the last remaining differences between Tehran and Washington.

Based on this report, Robert Malley, the US Special Envoy for Iran Affairs, discussed Iran’s request to remove the IRGC from the terrorism list in indirect negotiations with Iran, coordinated by Enrique Mora, the European Union’s diplomatic coordinator.

Axios added that one of the proposals put forward by the US in the indirect negotiations was that Iran commit to reducing tensions in the region.

However, two informed American sources and an Israeli official told the Axios correspondent that Iranian officials, instead of committing to a public announcement that regional tensions would decrease, proposed submitting a private implicit letter on this matter to the US government.

A senior official from the US State Department, without commenting on the report, told Axios that Washington’s position has not changed and remains awaiting Iran’s response.

This unnamed high-ranking American official added that Washington will wait until the end of Iran’s Nowruz holidays, although it hopes to receive Iran’s response sooner.

On the other hand, Axios reported, citing American officials, that as time passes, the Biden administration becomes more concerned about domestic political positions in the US regarding the revival of the JCPOA and understands that the agreement would come at the cost of removing the IRGC from the terrorism list, which would create domestic problems for the administration.

Meanwhile, the White House National Security Council spokesperson said that President Biden is still willing to revive US participation in the JCPOA if Iran fully returns to its nuclear commitments, in order to preserve American national interests. However, responsibility for closing the gaps and gaps seen in Vienna negotiations lies with Iran.

Ned Price, the US State Department spokesperson, emphasized on the 2nd of Farvardin that the Biden administration has discussed the possibility of failure of Vienna negotiations with France, Germany, Britain, Israel, and the Persian Gulf monarchies for some time to prepare possible alternative scenarios.

Before Axios’s report that Iran rejected the US condition for removing the IRGC from the terrorism list, the American newspaper Wall Street Journal wrote on the 3rd of Farvardin that this issue is now the most serious obstacle to reviving the JCPOA, and Israel and the Persian Gulf monarchies have pressured the US not to agree to removing the IRGC from the terrorism list.

Senior American officials told the Wall Street Journal that failure to reach a compromise with Iran over the IRGC could lead to the collapse of Vienna negotiations.

American media reported that a session by Robert Malley in Congress to provide explanations about Vienna negotiations faced strong opposition from Republicans, and some Democrats, in alliance with Republicans, became severely angry with Mr. Malley’s explanations about the possibility of removing the IRGC from the terrorism list, and by leaving the session, shared the session’s contents with the media.

Since the beginning of this week, the wave of domestic opposition in the US to achieving a JCPOA revival agreement at the cost of removing the IRGC from the terrorism list has intensified.

More than 40 Republican members of Congress warned the State Department about the consequences of removing the IRGC from the terrorism list in a letter.

Naftali Bennett, Prime Minister, and Yair Lapid, Israel’s Foreign Minister, have openly opposed the Biden administration’s possible decision regarding the IRGC in recent days.

Mr. Bennett said in several speeches this week that it is difficult for Israel to believe that the US, in exchange for “empty promises from a regime that spilled the blood of Americans on the ground,” would remove the IRGC from the terrorism list, which is “one of the world’s largest terrorist organizations.”

On the other hand, Hossein Amirabdollahian, Iran’s Foreign Minister, who traveled to Damascus on the 3rd of Farvardin in an unannounced visit, reiterated his recent statements during a meeting with Bashar al-Assad, the Syrian President, saying “in Vienna negotiations, we have come very close to an agreement.”

He also said earlier this week that Iran has submitted “initiatives” through Enrique Mora regarding very important remaining issues in Vienna negotiations, and “now it is America’s turn to show good faith.”

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the Leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran, in his speech on the 1st of Farvardin, openly supported the continuation of the efforts of Iran’s diplomatic team to reach a JCPOA revival agreement and said he personally has no problem with the continuation of these efforts. However, he did not refer to the obstacles created in the way of reviving this agreement.

Donald Trump wrote in a statement on the 19th of Farvardin 1398 that “the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps is the primary tool of the Iranian government for directing and executing this regime’s campaign of international terrorism” and the “unprecedented” US step in designating the IRGC as terrorist “confirms the reality that Iran is not only a government sponsor of terrorism, but the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps actively participates in terrorism, as a government tool, and finances and promotes terror.”

Mr. Trump added that “the clear message of this action to Tehran is that its support for terrorism has serious consequences and we will continue to pressure it until it ceases its hostile and unlawful behavior.”

Jen Psaki, the White House spokesperson, said earlier in the week that the claim that the previous US administration’s measures reduced the IRGC’s operations and aggressive behavior is incorrect, and the situation that has been created has not made America safer in any way, and on the contrary, the IRGC has been strengthened and its budget has doubled.

Source: Radio Farda