Iranian President Hassan Rouhani defends Islamic Revolutionary Guards after US designation as terrorist group

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani defended the elite Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as protectors of the Islamic republic a day after the United States labeled the group as a foreign terrorist organisation.

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“The Guards have sacrificed their lives to protect our people, our (1979 Islamic) revolution … today America that holds a grudge against the Guards, blacklists the Guards,” Rouhani said in a live speech broadcast live on state TV.

U.S. President Donald Trump designated Iran’s Guards a foreign terrorist organisation on Monday — an unprecedented step that will raise tensions in the Middle East.