Do not suspend JCPOA revival over military blacklisting, say IRGC commanders

ByNews Desk- The Cradle

However, officials have emphasized that removing the IRGC from Washington's list of foreign-terrorist organizations remains one of Iran's top demands in the Vienna talks

Officials attend the funeral of the late IRGC Quds Force Commander Qassem Soleimani. (Photo credit: Khamenei.ir)

During an interview with state television on 26 March, Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian revealed that commanders from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) told officials to move ahead with the sanctions removal deal, despite the US blacklisting the IRGC.

“Senior officials of IRGC have told us that if we have secured the people’s interests, to not put off an agreement due to the sanctions against [the IRGC],” Amir-Abdollahian said.

However, Iran’s top diplomat went on to clarify that the removal of the IRGC from Washington’s list of Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTO) remains among the top demands of Iran in the Vienna talks.

The Iranian foreign minister said the United States must demonstrate the good intentions it often mentions, and prove the difference between the objectives of Biden and those of Trump.

On 8 April 2019, former US president Donald Trump added the IRGC to the FTO list, marking the first time that a country’s military had been designated as a terrorist organization.

There have been concerns that keeping the IRGC on the FTO list could cause complications for the talks in Vienna, as any individual or organization conducting business with the elite military force could be cited for violation of US sanctions.

The statements of Amir-Abdollahian came just hours before the arrival of EU deputy foreign policy chief Enrique Mora, who also acts as the coordinator of the Vienna talks between Iran and the five remaining parties of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

In relation to Mora’s visit, Amir-Abdollahian said that any possible agreement “will not go beyond the JCPOA” framework. Mora also emphasized that negotiators have made “major progress” in lifting punitive sanctions imposed on Iran.