Israel satisfied as US seems likely to keep Iran’s Guards on terror blacklist

Official expresses hope Washington’s apparent rejection of Tehran’s demand could yet sink nuclear talks — though it is understood an agreement is still possible

Israel hopes the Biden administration’s reported decision to not remove the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps from the US terror blacklist could be a “dealbreaker” for Iran in talks on reviving the 2015 nuclear deal, a senior official in the Prime Minister’s Office said Saturday.

The official told The Times of Israel that the PMO welcomed the move, reported by The Washington Post, but understood it may not ultimately prevent an agreement between Iran and the United States, with Tehran still poised to benefit economically if that happens.

The Post’s David Ignatius was told by an unnamed senior US official that the administration would not agree to Iran’s demand to remove the IRGC from the list of Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTO), even if it put the signing of a deal “in jeopardy.”

The Pentagon’s top general said Thursday he was opposed to the potential delisting of the IRGC’s Quds Force, and a State Department spokeswoman later said the president shared Mark Milley’s views.

The issue had been one of the few related to the nuclear negotiations that Prime Minister Naftali Bennett and Foreign Minister Yair Lapid had forcefully spoken out against in public, as they have sought to quietly influence Washington on the negotiations, rather than spar with the US publicly.

Ynet quoted a senior Israeli official asserting that the government’s approach had proven itself: “The policy Israel has enacted, led by Prime Minister Bennett and Foreign Minister Lapid, not to get into clashes for the sake of clashes but influencing where possible, is a good and correct approach.”

https://www.timesofisrael.com/israel-satisfied-as-us-seems-likely-to-keep-irans-guards-on-terror-blacklist/