Iran's parliament puts CENTCOM on terror list

TEHRAN

The Iranian parliament on Tuesday approved a bill placing the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) on the country’s terror list, according to the official IRNA news agency.

The decision came in response to Washington's blacklisting of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a terrorist organization.

IRNA said the decision came to "counter the U.S. move to weaken peace and security of the region and the entire world by labeling IRGC..., as a terrorist group."

It also qualifies the Iranian government and armed forces to "take the necessary actions so as the U.S. forces will not be able to use their power and facilities against the interests of Iran”.

Tuesday’s decision also stipulates that any cooperation with the CENTCOM is considered as a "terrorist act."

Last week, the Iranian parliament approved a bill that considers all U.S. forces operating in the Middle East as terrorist in retaliation for labeling IRGC a terrorist organization.

The move also came a day after the U.S. administration announced that it would end sanctions waivers on eight countries -- Turkey, China, Greece, India, Italy, Japan, South Korea and Taiwan -- importing oil from Iran.

The U.S. re-imposed sanctions on Iranian oil exports in November after Washington pulled out of the 2015 nuclear deal with Tehran.

The administration then announced it would give 180-day waivers, called Significant Reduction Exceptions (SREs), to eight countries to help them wean off their supply of Iranian oil.

* Writing by Ali Abo Rezeg