Nuclear Talks: Iran Backs Down on IRGC Terror Listing, US Official Says
Members of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) march during a parade to commemorate the anniversary of the Iran-Iraq war (1980-88), in Tehran on Sep. 22, 2010. Photo: Reuters/Morteza Nikoubazl/File photo
i24 News – Tehran backed down from asking the United States to remove its Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) from Washington’s terrorist blacklist, according to US media.
A senior US administration official told CNN News that the request was not included in Iran’s response to the draft deal proposed by the European Union earlier this week.
Last month, US President Joe Biden made it clear that he was committed to keeping the IRGC designated as a terrorist group even if the price to pay was the non-renewal of the 2015 JCPOA nuclear agreement, which his predecessor Donald Trump unilaterally pulled out of.
According to the report, Tehran also withdrew its request to remove certain companies associated with the IRGC from the terrorist list.
“We are closer to a nuclear deal than two weeks ago, but there are still disagreements between the parties,” the US official said.
Iran International, a Saudi-funded opposition Iranian media outlet said last week that Iran’s response to the EU draft proposal would not satisfy Western powers, in particular Washington.
But Iran appears to have accepted the proposed solution to the question of inspection by the International Atomic Energy Agency, with financial guarantees.
In Israel, it is believed that the US is waiting for the green light from Iran to show a willingness to compromise. Meanwhile, Jerusalem fears Washington will compromise first.