Saudi 'welcomes' US blacklisting of Iran's Guards

Riyadh, April 9 (IANS) Saudi Arabia welcomed on Tuesday the US decision to blacklist the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a "terrorist group", state media reported.An official from the Saudi Foreign Ministry said that the decision was "a serious counter-terrorism step" and reiterated the renewed demands of the kingdom to the international community to fight Iran-backed terrorism, Saudi Press Agency reported.The official called upon countries to take a "substantial role" to tackle the operations of the IRGC in disturbing international security and peace, the report said.Designating the IRGC a "foreign terrorist organisation" on Monday, US President Donald Trump said: "This unprecedented step, led by the Department of State, recognizes the reality that Iran is not only a state sponsor of terrorism, but that the IRGC actively participates in, finances and promotes terrorism as a tool of statecraft."
--IANS soni/