France fears Iran's Revolutionary Guard terror listing would fuel crisis
PARIS - France said on Monday it was worried that designating Iran's Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) as a terrorist group could exacerbate tensions in the region, and appeared to urge Tehran to show restraint.
Iran's foreign ministry promised on Monday to give a "crushing" response if the United States' President Donald Trump designated the country's most powerful security force as a terrorist organisation, part of a broader US strategy on Iran.
"In the context of regional instability, France is vigilant on any actions that could exacerbate the current crises," foreign ministry spokeswoman Agnes Romatet-Espagne told a daily briefing, when asked if Paris backed putting the IRGC on a terrorism list.
"With this in mind, regional states have a specific role to play and must show restraint and a sense of responsibility," she said.
Trump is to unveil his strategy on how he wants to contain Tehran in the region next week and is expected to decertify a landmark 2015 international deal to curb Iran's nuclear program, in a step that potentially could cause the accord to unravel.
