US expresses concern over IRGC's presence at Qatar defense exhibition

The presence of the Revolutionary Guard Corps at a defense exhibition in Qatar, an American ally, has been marginalized. According to media reports, the Iranian Ministry of Defense pavilion at the exhibition was located next to the company that manufactured the drone that the US used to kill Qassem Soleimani.

The presence of the Revolutionary Guard Corps and military equipment manufactured by the Islamic Republic of Iran at the Qatar Defense Exhibition has sparked widespread reactions. The US State Department expressed concern on Thursday.

"We are deeply concerned and displeased by the presence of Iranian military officials and officers of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps at the defense exhibition in Doha, Qatar," said Ned Price, a spokesman for the US State Department.

He went on to call Iran “the biggest threat and cause of maritime instability in the Persian Gulf region.” Iran has put several models of aircraft, missiles, and other military equipment on public display at the exhibition.

Reuters news agency wrote about Iran's presence at the exhibition: "The IRGC displayed its missiles in a country that hosts the largest US military base in the region."

The United States, Qatar's main ally, considers the Revolutionary Guard Corps to be terrorists and has imposed tough sanctions on Iran's military forces. The Ministry of Defense, which represents the Iranian pavilion, is also subject to these sanctions.

According to Reuters, the Iranian pavilion is located next to the American company General Atomics, which manufactured the drone that the US government used to kill Qassem Soleimani, the former commander of the Quds Force.

Iranian media have reported that some IRGC commanders are attending the Qatar Defense Industries Exhibition, including the IRGC Navy Commander. This has drawn increased attention from the American media.

US-Qatar relations

The IRGC's presence at the Doha Defense Exhibition comes at a time when Qatar is considered a close regional ally of the United States and hosts the Pentagon's Central Command headquarters at Al-Udeid Air Base.

On February 1, 2022, before his meeting with Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, the Emir of Qatar, US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin announced to reporters at the Pentagon that with the increasing threats posed by missile and drone attacks, the United States and Qatar have entered a new partnership period for more integrated operations against these attacks.

He said that US defense cooperation with Qatar is strong and serves as a cornerstone of the strategic relationship between the two countries.

The Revolutionary Guards and the United States

The United States has imposed severe sanctions on the military forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran. The United States has restricted trade with the Iranian military, and in particular the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

Washington officially calls the Revolutionary Guard an international terrorist organization.

Qassem Soleimani was killed in a US drone strike at Baghdad airport on January 4, 2019. Former US President Donald Trump had blamed Soleimani for the deaths of “thousands” of US citizens.

Ned Price warned the country's authorities about the presence of the Revolutionary Guard Corps at the Qatar defense exhibition, saying: "The purchase and sale of Iranian weapons in general is subject to sanctions under various laws in the United States, including laws related to terrorism and weapons of mass destruction."

Possibility of the Revolutionary Guards being removed from the list of terrorist groups

According to reports, removing the IRGC from the list of terrorist groups in the United States is one of the Islamic Republic's most important demands for finalizing the revival of the JCPOA.

In a press conference on Friday, March 18, White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki implicitly raised the possibility of removing the IRGC from the list of terrorist groups and defended this action.

Criticizing the Trump administration's actions, he stated: "The notion that the previous administration's actions to withdraw from the nuclear agreement with Iran have reduced the actions of the Revolutionary Guard is incorrect."

On March 18, the Israeli Prime Minister and Foreign Minister called on the United States not to remove the Revolutionary Guard Corps from the list of terrorist organizations.

Also, on March 23, about 80 Republican representatives of the US Congress warned in letters to US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken about the possible removal of the Revolutionary Guard from the list of foreign terrorist organizations.

On his fourth foreign trip, Ebrahim Raisi traveled to Doha, the capital of Qatar, on March 18, and met and held talks with Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, the Emir of this Persian Gulf country.

After talking with the Emir of Qatar, the Iranian president said in a press conference that the two countries had agreed to "seriously increase cooperation in the economic, trade, energy, infrastructure, food security, health, and cultural fields."

In January last year, Qatari Foreign Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani told Al Jazeera that his country was using existing open channels with Washington and Tehran to bring their views closer together.

At the same time, US Democratic Senator Chris Murphy, in an interview with Al Jazeera, welcomed Doha's efforts to revive the JCPOA and said that he hopes that with Qatar's help, all parties can be returned to the agreement.

Source: DW