IRAN PROMISES ‘CRUSHING’ RESPONSE IF US DESIGNATES GUARDS A TERROR GROUP

LONDON: Iran promised on Monday to give a “crushing” response if the United States designated its elite Revolutionary Guards as a terrorist group. The pledge came a week before President Donald Trump announces final decision on how he wants to contain Tehran. He is expected on October 15 to decertify the landmark international deal to curb Iran’s nuclear programme and designate the Revolutionary Guards Corp as a terrorist organisation, as he rolls out a broader US strategy on Iran. “We are hopeful that the US does not make this strategic mistake,” foreign ministry spokesman Bahram Qasemi said. “If they do, Iran’s reaction would be firm, decisive and crushing and the US should bear all its consequences,” he added.