If the US attempts to declare the Iranian Revolutionary Guard a terrorist organization, then Tehran will give a similar designation to the US military. They would have no other option, explains Seyed Mohammad Marandi from the University of Tehran.
With the US tackling both the Korean crisis and threatening to scrap the Iran nuclear deal, President Trump has decided to lump together his two adversaries by accusing Tehran of supporting Pyongyang.
As Donald Trump is expected to "decertify" the nuclear deal with Iran, there are reports the US could target Iran's crucial security force, the Revolutionary Guard, by designating it a terror group.
RT spoke to Seyed Mohammad Marandi, a professor at the University of Tehran, and discussed the perspectives.
RT: Do you expect Donald Trump to decertify the nuclear deal on October, 15? What impact could it have on stability in the world? Will Iran let it go?
Seyed Mohammad Marandi: It is quite possible. Of course, Mr. Trump is a very unpredictable person, but all indications seem to show that that is what he is going to do. If he does decertify the agreement, basically it will show the international community the US is an untrustworthy country, and it is not a country you can negotiate with. It will prevent Iran from being able to carry out any negotiations in the future with the US because the Iranians will conclude that even if there is some sort of agreement over any Issue, the US may tear up that agreement later on. And I think the same is true with any country that wants or is even contemplating negotiating with the US. The US hurts itself more than anyone else. If it wishes to increase sanctions on Iran, then I think the Iranians will find the means to retaliate.
RT: What reaction do you expect from Tehran? How far could it all go?
SMM: It depends on what Trump does. If he decertifies the nuclear deal, a lot will depend on the reaction of the EU countries. If the EU countries simply verbally oppose Trump, that is one way of moving forward. I think that would lead to the deal unfolding completely. If on the other hand, the EU countries and England decide that they will retaliate against the US, that they will sue the US or punish the US if it tries to punish their companies, that may bring about a different situation. But without a doubt, if the US wants to push for greater confrontation with Iran, the Iranians know quite well that the only way to make sure the US backs off is if the Iranians push back just as hard, if not harder. Iran will not initiate any form of confrontation, conflict or tit-for-tat, but if the US begins something, then the Iranians will definitely push back very hard.
The US has already been undermining the stability of the region for a very long time. It supported extremists in Syria; it is behind the scenes provoking the Kurdish region in Iraq to also cause problems … The Americans have played a very negative role both under Trump and Obama. However, if the US wishes to escalate further, then I think it really becomes more dangerous. If the US attempts to declare the Iranian Revolutionary Guard as a terrorist organization, then I think the Iranians will declare the American armed forces as a terrorist entity. They have no other option. And that would lead to a very dangerous situation. I think the people in Washington should be very careful about how they approach the situation in the region. The Iranians have been preparing themselves for any American aggression over the past 15-16 years, ever since 9/11, the Iranians have been preparing themselves. I think the Iranians are well entrenched, they have very advanced weapon technology; a lot of it is underground and unknown to the US. Sensible people in the US will recognize that the US should back off. The problem really in the US is not so much whether they know the facts on the ground or not, but it is more linked to US arrogance. What could really undermine the US, is its arrogance.