Iraq’s Foreign Ministry slammed on Wednesday Washington’s recent
decision to classify Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a terrorist group,
saying that such move will not contribute to regional stability.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Ahmed al-Sahhaf said: “Our region is
in dire need of decisions that help reinforce its stability,” according to
local media reports, adding that the US decision on the Iranian guards does
not serve this goal.”
Iraqi Prime Minister Adil Abd
al-Mahdi said Tuesday that Baghdad tried to stop Washington from
blacklisting the Guards as a "terrorist organization,", warning that
the decision could further destabilize the region.
It is the first time the US has labelled another
nation's military as a terrorist organization.
The IRGC is Iran's most elite military unit. It was set up shortly
after the 1979 Iranian revolution.
It has since become a major military, political and economic
force in Iran, with close ties to the Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei,
and many other senior figures hailing from its ranks.
The IRGC is estimated to
have more than 150,000 active personnel, boasts its own ground forces, navy and
air force, and oversees Iran's strategic weapons, including its ballistic
missiles.
The IRGC exerts influence
elsewhere in the Middle East by providing money, weapons, technology, training
and advice to allied governments and armed groups through its shadowy overseas
operations arm, the Quds Force.
