Secretary of State Rubio Directs Diplomats to Seek Terror Labels for Iran Groups

Secretary of State Marco Rubio has instructed American diplomats worldwide to encourage allied nations to officially classify Iran's Revolutionary Guard and Hezbollah as terrorist organizations. The directive comes amid what officials describe as heightened security threats from Iranian-backed forces.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio has issued orders for American diplomatic personnel stationed around the globe to lobby international partners into formally labeling Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and the Lebanese organization Hezbollah as terrorist entities, according to confidential State Department communications obtained by Reuters.

The March 16 instruction, distributed to every American diplomatic facility worldwide, directs embassy staff to communicate this request to foreign officials “at the highest appropriate level” before March 20. The document specifies that these lobbying activities should be synchronized with Israeli diplomatic efforts.

The Trump White House is working to gain support from hesitant international partners for its military actions, particularly after many nations received no advance warning about the American-Israeli air campaign that began two weeks earlier.

Demonstrating the challenges facing this diplomatic push, multiple American allies announced Monday they would not deploy naval vessels to assist in reopening the Strait of Hormuz, declining Trump’s request to help maintain access to the crucial oil transport route.

The diplomatic cable emphasizes urgency, stating: “With the elevated risk of attack from Iran and its partners and proxies, all governments must move expeditiously to diminish the capabilities of Iran and Iran-aligned terrorist groups from attacking our respective nations and citizens.”

Iran’s Revolutionary Guard represents an elite military branch tasked with safeguarding the country’s Shiite Muslim religious leadership while maintaining significant control over Iran’s economic sectors. Both the Revolutionary Guard and Hezbollah, a Shiite Muslim militant organization based in Lebanon, already carry terrorist designations from Washington and several other nations.

While the State Department communication lacks specific details about the heightened threat level, it references Tehran’s previous attacks against neighboring Middle Eastern countries and calls for coordinated international response.

The cable argues: “We assess that the Iranian regime is more sensitive to collective action than unilateral action, and that joint pressure is more likely to compel behavior change by the regime than unilateral actions alone.”

Officials believe such international designations would intensify pressure on Iran’s government while restricting its capacity “to sponsor terror activities” globally.

A State Department representative stated: “President Trump is focused on securing peace in the Middle East. The IRGC, Hezbollah, and other Iranian backed proxies destabilize governments and undermine regional peace.”