Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei appointed Brig. Gen. Hossein Salami to head the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps IRGC, which the US this month officially designated a “foreign terrorist organization.” Analysts consider Salami, who replaced longtime chief Maj. Gen. Mohammed Ali Jafari, a hard-liner that earlier this year vowed to “break America, Israel, and their partners…[in order to] cleanse the planet from the filth of their existence.” Founded after the 1979 Islamic Revolution, the IRGC has amassed tremendous political power and controls large swaths of the Iranian economy. Its elite Quds Force, led by notorious Qasem Soleimani, spearheads Iran’s military activities abroad and is deeply involved in the wars in Syria and Yemen. The Quds Force also wields great influence in Iraq, through Shiite paramilitaries and politicians loyal to Tehran, and in Lebanon through Iranian terror proxy Hizbullah. Notably, the IRGC played a big role in the development of Iran’s nuclear and ballistic missile programs. US President Donald Trump cited these as reasons for his decision last May to withdraw from the 2015 atomic accord and re-impose sanctions on the Islamic Republic. Meanwhile, American media reported Sunday that the White House is preparing to announce an end to waivers granting countries—including China, Japan, India, South Korea and Turkey, among others—permission to continue importing Iranian oil.
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