- Iran’s lawmakers has approved a bill designating the US Central Command(CENTCOM) as a terrorist organisation.The bill considers any type of financial,technological or information aid given to CENTCOM as a terrorist measure.
- This move comes after the United States had designated Iran’s elite Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps(IRGC) as a foreign terrorist organization.It is the first time that the U.S. has designated an entity of another government as a terrorist organization.
- The foreign terrorist designation allows the US administration to seek criminal penalties against elements of the IRGC and foreign officials deemed to be aiding it.It will also allow US to ban travel to the United States for individuals associated with IRGC.
- The Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corp was formed after the 1979 Islamic revolution with a mission to defend the clerical regime, in contrast to more traditional military units that protect borders.
- The CENTCOM was established in 1983.Its objective is to protect the US national interests and those of its partners in 20 nations in the Middle East,Central and South Asia and the strategic waterways that surround them.
