President George W. Bush's plan to designate Iran's Revolutionary Guards as a terrorist organisation is yet another example of Washington's incoherent Iran policy. On the surface, the Revolutionary Guards are ideal candidates for sanctions, as they are in control of Iran's expanding nuclear infrastructure and are busy training Shia militias in Iraq. However, at a time when the administration professes a desire for a negotiated settlement with Tehran, coercing a pillar of the theocratic regime erodes the possibility of a diplomatic -resolution.

The 125,000-strong Revolutionary Guards were created in the early 1980s and continue to be commanded by reactionary ideologues who are committed to the values and outlook of the clerical hardliners. Throughout the 1990s, the Guards pressed for suppression of the reform movement.