President Donald Trump on Monday announced the United States is designating Iran's elite military force, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, a terrorist organization. Trump said in a statement that the "unprecedented" move "recognizes the reality that Iran is not only a State Sponsor of Terrorism, but that the IRGC actively participates in, finances, and promotes terrorism as a tool of statecraft." The United States has already blacklisted dozens of entities and people for affiliations with the IRGC, but not the organization as a whole. Meanwhile, the European Union has extended for a year, until April, 13, 2020, sanctions against Iran in connection with alleged human rights violations in the country, the EU Council said on Monday. "The Council today extended until 13 April 2020 its restrictive measures responding to serious human rights violations in Iran. "These measures consist of a travel ban and an asset freeze against 82 people and one entity, and a ban on exports to Iran of equipment which might be used for internal repression and of equipment for monitoring telecommunications," the statement said. In addition, these measures include a "ban on the export to Iran of equipment that can be used for internal repressions, and equipment for tracking telecommunications." These measures were first introduced in 2011 and have been renewed annually since then. According to Amnesty International, "more than half (51%) of all recorded executions in 2017 were carried out in Iran". In relation to its population, Iran holds the world record for executions per capita. There was an increase of 333% in prisoners between 1985 and 2017 in Iran. The newly appointed head of Iran's judiciary, Ebrahim Raisi, "was involved in mass executions of political prisoners," according to US State Department Deputy spokesperson. — Agencies
