The United States on Monday designated Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) a foreign terrorist organization, the first time Washington has formally labelled another country's military a terrorist group. This came two weeks after President Donald Trump signed a controversial proclamation to recognize Israel's sovereignty over the Golan Heights. The moves indicate an accelerating transition of U.S. Mideast strategy, which will likely trigger conflicts and deal a blow to world peace.

Handout picture made available by the Iranian presidential office shows Iranian President Hassan Rouhani delivering a speech during "nuclear technology day" in Tehran, April 9, 2019. Rouhani said the United States was the real "leader of world terrorism" after Washington blacklisted Iran's Revolutionary Guards as a "foreign terrorist organization". [Photo: VCG]

Since Trump took office, the hawks in Washington have gradually taken control of Middle East policy. With Israel's strength further consolidated and Palestine further oppressed, the U.S. no longer focuses on advancing the Israeli-Palestinian peace process. Instead, the Trump administration has made reinforcing Israel and isolating Iran the core of its Middle East policy. Thus, Washington came up with a decision to recognize Israel's sovereignty over the Golan Heights, and prior to that, relocate the U.S. embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. The move to recognize the Golan, which Israel annexed from Syria in 1981 after gaining control of the region in the 6-day War in 1967, helps Israel form an absolute strategic and military edge in the region. It also shows the Trump administration's distain for the United Nations, as UN resolutions following the annexation condemned the Israeli action as illegitimate and illegal.

Meanwhile, Iran's growing influence in the region has upset Washington. A U.S. security report notes that Iran has close ties with Syria, Iraq, Lebanon's Hezbollah and Hamas in the Gaza Strip. The report contends a "Shiite arc" around Israel is gradually taking shape, posing a serious threat to the security of the United States and Israel. As such, Washington sees Iran as a thorn in its side. The Trump administration's intention to contain Iran became obvious when it withdrew from the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, then re-imposed all sanctions that were lifted by the Obama administration.

Monday's announcement to designate the IRGC as a foreign terrorist group means reinforced sanctions against Iran. "This action will significantly expand the scope and scale of our maximum pressure on the Iranian regime," said Trump in a statement following the decision. It means the United States will freeze all IRGC assets in the country, while prohibiting U.S. and foreign companies or individuals from providing any substantial funding or resources to its members and affiliates.

This move, unprecedented in its scale, has crossed Iran's bottom line, and will increase volatility in the region. In response, Iran has strongly condemned the U.S. move as "illegal and dangerous," declaring it has designated the US Central Command and affiliated forces in West Asia as a terrorist group. It is conceivable that a direct confrontation between the U.S. and Iran could be more likely, while U.S. support for Israel, including its territory and its military, will be further expanded.

The two wars started by the U.S. in Afghanistan and Iraq have not only left Washington in a quagmire, but have created constant instability in the Middle East, which has become a hotbed of terrorism. The Middle East peace process has also been severely interrupted. The latest unilateral act by the United States ignores international laws and norms, and has once again put the Middle East into a whirlpool. It's a retrogression of history and a provocation undermining world peace. People in the Middle East are yearning for peace after suffering from decades of war. Where is the U.S. leading the situation to? Those who yearn for peace, both in the Middle East and the rest of the world, are likely to shudder at the prospects.