Professor Ferraro: I strongly suspect that the decision was made to bolster the re-election of Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu
Tehran (KNA): We had an exclusive interview with Professor Ferraro about Trump’s decision about Iran’s revolutionary guards.
Some days ago, the US has formally designated Iran's Islamic Revolution Guards Corps as a foreign terrorist organization.
In response, Iran's top Security Council designated the US Central Command in the region, known as CENTCOM as a terrorist group.
Many experts react to this situation during the week. We had an exclusive interview with Professor Ferraro about Trump's decision about Iran's revolutionary guards.
Professor Vincent Ferraro is the Ruth Lawson Professor of Politics at Mount Holyoke College, where he has been teaching since 1976.
His research focuses on changes in international relations since the Cold War, and he teaches courses on World Politics, American Foreign Policy and International Political Economy.
Professor Ferraro previously served as the academic consultant to the United Nations Association of the United States and to the United Nations Development Program.
Q. What is your opinion about the decision of the US and Trump to designate the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps in the list of terrorist groups (FTO)? Was this decision predictable? How far does this decision change the conditions governing Iran and the United States?
A. The decision to designate the Revolutionary Guard as a foreign terrorist organization baffles me. The US already has imposed sanctions on the Islamic Republic of Iran and there is no evidence that additional sanctions are being considered as a result of the designation. I do not know what the designation means since the Guard is already a part of the Iranian state and not an independent organization.
Q. What is the reason for Trump's decision to name the IRGC in the list of terrorist groups?
A. I strongly suspect that the decision was made to bolster the re-election of Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu (as was the decision to recognize Israeli sovereignty over Jerusalem and the Golan Heights).
Q. How should the Islamic Republic of Iran and the IRGC react to in the current issue?
A. The best reaction of Iran would be to ignore the decision. It carries little weight among the American public and undermines the US position with respect to the European states who wish to maintain better relations with Iran.
Q. Is there a potential military conflict between the United States and the Revolutionary Guards of Iran?
A . As far as the likelihood of war is concerned, my own view is that President Trump has already delegated that decision to Netanyahu. I hope that the Israeli government changes as a result of election.