U.S. President Joe Biden decided against removing the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps from the list of foreign terror organizations, Politico reported on Tuesday, quoting western sources.
According to the report, Biden informed Prime Minister Naftali Bennett of his decision in a conversation last month.
The matter was finalized during the visit of Shimrit Meir who was then still a political adviser to the prime minister, during her visit to Washington for meetings with National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan. But officials requested Israel refrain from public statements at the time.
After his conversation with the American president, Bennett said Biden was a true friend of Israel and concerned for its security. "I am confident the president will not remove the IRGC from the list of terror entities," he said.
In a read out from the two leader's call, the White House said they spoke about the threat posed by Iran and its proxies.
The decision whether to remove the IRGC from the terror list was a main sticking point in negotiations between world powers and Tehran on a return to the 2015 nuclear deal.
State Department Spokesperson Ned Price told reporters earlier this year that the matter was at the heart of efforts to return to the deal.
A decision by the U.S. was further complicated after the election of Ebrahim Raisi as Iran's president, last June.
An American official said the United States could not take such a step without considerable concessions from Iran, a condition that was rejected outright by the Iranian negotiator to the talks.
.