"DoD's rules of engagement have not changed as a result of this announcement", Rebarich said. "We have no credible information to suggest there is an imminent threat".
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US President Donald Trump has announced that the White House would designate Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a foreign terrorist organization. A senior US administration official said in a conference call earlier on Monday that the new designation will allow for the criminal prosecution of those providing material support to the IRGC. The official also called on other nations to designate the IRGC.
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In turn, the Iranian Foreign Ministry proposed Monday to the country's Supreme National Security Council to include the US Central Command (CENTCOM) in the Middle East in the list of terrorist organizations.
IRGC is a branch of Iran's Armed Forces founded in 1979 right after the Iranian Revolution in order to struggle against left-wing opposition groups. Today the Revolutionary Guards have a wide range of aims such as domestic security, overseeing the activities of political, social, and non-governmental organizations, private companies and firms, preventing foreign interference, and controlling Islamic norms of life and morality.
Tensions between the United States and Iran have escalated since Washington withdrew from the Iran nuclear agreement last year and reinstated sanctions against Tehran. The nuclear agreement envisaged gradual lifting of sanctions in return for Iran keeping its nuclear program peaceful.
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