#WORLD NEWS OCTOBER 10, 2017 / 3:56 AM / UPDATED 21 MINUTES AGO

Iran hardliners, pragmatists show unity in response to Trump

Bozorgmehr Sharafedin
5 MIN READ

LONDON (Reuters) - A tough line from President Donald Trump has been met by a show of unity from both sides of Iran’s political divide, uniting hardliners who cast the United States as an implacable enemy with pragmatists who seek rapprochement with the West.

Iran, which has kept up a steady drumbeat of hostile statements for days, lashed out again on Tuesday, threatening to teach the Americans “new lessons” and keep “all options on the table” if Washington blacklists its Revolutionary Guards.

Trump, who has accused his predecessor Barack Obama of being too soft on Iran, is expected to announce a hardening of policy this week, likely to include “decertifying” a landmark 2015 deal that lifted international sanctions in return for curbs on Tehran’s nuclear program. Such a step would stop short of pulling out of the agreement, leaving that decision to Congress.

Trump is also expected to designate Iran’s most powerful security force, the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), as a terrorist organization. The IRGC has a vast economic empire in Iran, and blacklisting it could make it more difficult for Iranian businesses to access the global financial system.

“It seems the Trump administration understands only swear words, and needs some shocks to understand the new meaning of power in the world,” Iranian armed forces spokesman Masoud Jazayeri, who is also a Revolutionary Guards commander, said.

-snip-