WASHINGTON, Aug. 15 Iran's elite Revolutionary Guard Corps will be designated as a terrorist organization by the U.S. government and subject to financial sanctions.
The Washington Post quoted Bush administration officials as saying the formal announcement would be made soon that would enable Washington to disrupt operations by foreign businesses that "provide support, services or assistance to, or otherwise associate with, terrorists."
The corps of 125,000 soldiers has a vast international business presence, Ray Takeyh, of the Council on Foreign Relations, told the Post.
"They are heavily involved in everything from pharmaceuticals to telecommunications and pipelines -- even the new Imam Khomeini Airport and a great deal of smuggling," Takeyh said. "Many of the front companies engaged in procuring nuclear technology are owned and run by the Revolutionary Guards."
U.S. officials claim to have linked weaponry used by Shiite Muslims in Iraq to a branch of the guard, along with Lebanon's Hezbollah and to Sunni movements such as Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, the Post said.
Copyright 2007 by UPI
