Turkey, Qatar condemn US move against Iran’s Revolutionary Guards

Turkey and Qatar on Tuesday condemned the US’s move to designate Iran’s Revolutionary Guards a terrorist group, saying the decision would create “instability” in the region.

Washington’s move against the Revolutionary Guards was the first time that the United States has branded part of a foreign government a terrorist group.

“These kinds of decisions will pave the way for instability in our region,” Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu told reporters in Ankara. The decision against the “official army of Iran... was incomprehensible,” he said.

He also criticized previous “one-sided” American sanctions against Iran and “pressure” on other countries by Washington to adhere to them. Cavusoglu was addressing a joint press conference with his Qatari counterpart Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani.

Cavusoglu’s Qatari counterpart, Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani, said disagreements over the Iranian army’s behavior, or that of any other army, should not be solved by imposing sanctions, a Press TV report said.

Tehran supports the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad while Ankara has repeatedly called for his ousting and has provided assistance to opposition fighters. Cavusoglu added Turkey had itself opposed the Revolutionary Guards’ actions in Syria.

(With agencies)