An Iranian regime “diplomat” is currently in jail in Belgium for providing explosive material to Iranian agents to target the July 1, 2018 gathering in Paris
Tehran must not be allowed to expand the IRGC and MOIS presence in the United States under various covers.”
WASHINGTON, DC, USA, February 19, 2019 /EINPresswire.com/ — Organization of Iranian American Communities (OIAC) that represents Iranian Americans in 40 states, applauds ongoing congressional efforts to encourage the U.S. Secretary of State to classify Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) as well as Ministry of Intelligence and Security (MOIS) as Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) as set forth in section 219 of the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1189).
The United States Government has designated both the IRGC and the MOIS as Specially Designated Global Terrorists (SDGT). However, stepped up efforts by these entities necessitates their designation as a FTO. In 2018 alone, the Iranian regime has doubled down its terrorism against its dissidents both in the United States and Europe.
An Iranian regime “diplomat” is currently in jail in Belgium for providing a highly explosive material to two other Iranian agents to target the July 1, 2018 gathering in Paris where senior former American officials as well as leaders of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) and hundreds of our members were present. In December 2018, Iranian regime’s ambassador in Albania and another diplomat were expelled for their involvement in the terror plot against some 2,500 Iranian dissidents there. In 2018, five Iranian “diplomats” were expelled by France, Albania and Netherlands and several other Iranian agents were jailed for their terrorist plots. They all have ties with the MOIS as well as the IRGC.
In addition, in August 2018, two Iranian operatives were arrested in the United States for acting on behalf of the MOIS for spying on NCRI officials in the U.S. for potential “capture and kill operations,” according to the U.S. Department of Justice.
Tehran must not be allowed to expand the IRGC and MOIS presence in the United States under various covers. FTO designation would further limit the Iranian regime’s ability to recruit on American soil to pursue its objectives, as the designation would make it a crime for U.S. persons to provide “material support or resources” to FTOs, whose members can be barred from the U.S. and their assets must be frozen.
As the most active state sponsor of terrorism, Iran has used IRGC to overseeing regimes’ nuclear weapons program and its cyber terrorism, as well as arming and training terrorist militias in Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, and Afghanistan, to name a few.
We once again applaud the U.S. Congress efforts in favor of the FTO designation of the MOIS and the IRGC and urge the Secretary of State to make such designation to mitigate further suffering of the Iranian people in the hands of these criminal entities and empower the longest suffering people of Iran.
Dr. Majid Sadeghpour
Organization of Iranian American Communities-US (OIAC)
202-876-8123
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