On February 8, 2019, US President Donald Trump announced in another irresponsible and preposterous move the designation ofIran’s Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) as a ‘foreign terrorist organisation’.The action, which isbeing considered by most of the international community as senseless, provocative and inconceivable,can open a Pandora’s boxand result in a more complicated situation in the Middle East. People and government of Iran who have a long history of resistance and defiance towards bully approaches of US, reacted to this decision outrageously.
For some people there is an ambiguity that why US state department decided to do so while Pentagon declined to comment on this risky decision and many other decision-maker departments also were still indecisive about that!Todecipherer thereasons and consequences of such unprecedented and internationally illegal decision, some aspects of this decision are mentioned here:
1. Interventionism: since 1979revolution in Iran, many equations changed in the region.The revolution inspired movements in the regionconformed neither to US policies nor to the authoritarian and puppet regimes in the region. So the agenda for Regime Change in revolutionary Iran became a perpetualpresent option on the table of hawkish decision-makersin the US. During the 4 previous decades,US relentlesslyendeavored to subjugate the independent and non reliant government of Iran; In this context,many malicious plans likeflaring up the tensions betweenPersian Gulf countries with Iran, implicitlyforcing other countries to limit their economic transactions with Iran,provoking an illusion of Iran ophobia brought forward against Iran that none of them reached to their destined purposes. This failure, that went more complicated with the American defeated policies in Syria, Afghanistan, Iraq, Yemen and etc, gradually damaged the reputation of a self-proclaimed Super Power in the world. To cover these scandalous debacles up, Trump and some of his warmonger advisors defined IRGC as the main reason of US policy failures in the region. A claim that is neither right nor rational. Naming and shaming of IRGC that is a part of Iranian national defense force, is a blatantinfringement of Iran’s national sovereignty.
2. Unilateralism: during the recent years, US has devoted to many efforts to make an international coalition against Iran. Different motions for terrorist calling of IRGC and the unit of Quds Force had also been introduced by the US and some of its seduced allies in UNSC andUNHRCthat found no way to succeed. The noncompliance of other countries with such politically motivated motions was because of a wisdom oriented mindset; they know the fact that IRGCis a part of a State that internationally cosponsoring its proscription is not only ridiculous and unprecedented but could find a new realm of Double Standards in the United Nations, that one day could be applied for theirs as well. In this context, the repeated defeat of US in multilateral arena, forced this country to resort to another act of unilateralism. A decision that didn’t have enough supporterseven at home!
3. Legality: IRGCis a part of Iran’s defense structure. Any country in the world is entitled to define and strengthen its defensive body according to its benefits and presumed threats. The US decision in terrorist calling of IRGC, which is intended to weaken the defensive and military prowess of Iran, is a clear violation of article 51 of UN charter; which clarifies the right of self-defense as an inherent right for each country.
4. Legitimacy: established in 1979, IRGC took the responsibility of Guarding the Islamic Revolution and its achievements. As the Revolution was a people-oriented one, most of the Iranians were eager to be a part of this Guardian Corp. In this regard, the participation of people in IRGC was defined in the context of Basij(Niruyeh Moghavemat Basij)which was totally voluntary and unprofitable. Today about 35 million Iranians privilege the membership of Basij that means about half of the total population in Iran. Proscription of IRGC and its sections by US is a clear insult to the civilians of a country.
5. Right to Development: according to the United Nations Declaration on the Right to Development (Adopted by General Assembly resolution 41/128 of 4 December 1986), International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, UNSDGs and many other international instruments, development is an inalienable human right by virtue of which every human person and all peoples are entitled to participate in, contribute to, and enjoy economic, social, cultural and political development. After the invasion of Iraq to Iran in 1980 and its 8 years endured war, the noose around Iran’s economy tightened more than ever. In this context, IRGC that had a deep roots in people started to develop the local industries and flourish native talents. In this context, Khatam-al Anbiya Construction Headquarter was established to help the country to rebuild the war-resulted destructions. Due to the membership of graduated and talented people in this part, many innovations and progress achieved through this initiative. After the unfair and unjust economic sanctions on Islamic Republic of Iran, that weakened the competitiveness of Iranian companies to their foreign counterparts, the role and importance of Khatam-al Anbiya Construction Headquarter for national development came to look more essential. US decision in terrorist calling IRGC that is added to unfair and discriminatory sanctions is a blatant violation of Iranians’ right to development.
