US Secretary of State's reaction to the change of IRGC commander: There is no difference between them and Zarif and Rouhani
The US Secretary of State, who spoke to reporters on Monday morning to announce the cancellation of waivers for oil purchases from Iran, said that he sees no difference between him and other officials of the Islamic Republic regarding the change in the commander of the Revolutionary Guard Corps.
At a news conference on Monday, a reporter asked Mr. Pompeo if the new commander of the Revolutionary Guards was said to be a hardliner, and Mr. Pompeo responded: “You described the new commander of the Revolutionary Guards as a hardliner. Such descriptions often don’t make sense. The reality is that for any Iranian official — Zarif and Rouhani — who has accepted the fundamental nature of this regime, these kinds of distinctions don’t matter.
He added: "If you are someone who supports Qassem Soleimani's actions in Iraq, or the activities of the Quds Force, Hezbollah, and Hamas are supported by you, and you support Hamas, then you are moving against the goals of the United States."
Hossein Salami, the deputy commander of the Revolutionary Guards, became commander of the Revolutionary Guards by order of the Leader of the Islamic Republic.
The Revolutionary Guard Corps was placed on the list of terrorist groups by the US government in recent weeks.
In a statement, President Trump cited the IRGC's terrorist activities and the military institution's support and organization of terrorists as the reason for this action, saying that this action sends a message to other countries that if they cooperate with the IRGC, they are in fact cooperating with terrorists.
Also, according to the proposed bill on transparency of assets of the Iranian leadership in the US House of Representatives, Salami's name is also on the list, and if this bill is finally approved, the Trump administration will be required to make public the personal assets of the Iranian leadership, including officials and military leaders, using the financial and investigative resources of the US government.
Source: Voice of America
