1600 Daily The White House • April 8, 2019 President Trump tTkes Action Today on Iran

The White House • April 8, 2019 President Trump takes action today on Iran  The Iranian regime continues to lead a campaign of terrorism around the world. Today, President Donald J. Trump took historic action to confront the Iranian threat by designating the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a Foreign Terrorist Organization. The President explained in an official statement that this unprecedented step “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.” That designation marks the first time America has labeled part of another government a terrorist organization. “It underscores the fact that Iran’s actions are fundamentally different from those of other governments. This action will significantly expand the scope and scale of our maximum pressure on the Iranian regime,” President Trump says. For years, Iran has actively employed terrorism as a central tool in its foreign policy. The head of that snake has been the IRGC. Today, the regime in Tehran remains the world’s leading state sponsor of terror, funneling nearly a billion dollars each year toward radical groups such as Hezbollah, Hamas, and Palestinian Islamic Jihad. Since his earliest days in office, President Trump has worked to counter the regime’s malign activities and ensure that it never gets its hands on a nuclear weapon. Withdrawing from the Obama Administration’s unacceptable Iran deal was a key step toward that end. The Iran agreement represented a categorical failure in American diplomacy, lifting crucial sanctions on Iran and thus providing it with the revenue stream needed to fund even more terrorist activities. Now, those sanctions are back—coupled with even tougher ones. Today’s action ends the era of plausible deniability for Iran and sends a clear message that their support for terrorism has serious consequences. It also lets the rest of the world know where the United States stands in no uncertain terms. President Trump’s statement on designating the IRGC a Foreign Terrorist Organization Get the facts: President Trump is holding the Iranian regime accountable  Video of the day: President Trump visits the border wall On Friday, President Trump traveled to Calexico, California, to see the first completed section of the new wall along the U.S.–Mexico border. The newly-constructed 30-foot bollard wall replaces a barrier made of surplus corrugated steel landing mats from the Vietnam War. The visit also allowed the President to hear directly from individuals who work to keep America safe every day. They understand this growing border crisis better than any politician. And one thing that President Trump hears from border officials on the ground time and time again: The new barrier is exactly what they need. “We’re very appreciative of this wall,” Gloria Chavez, Chief Patrol Agent of the El Centro Sector, told President Trump. “These men and women, out here in this area of two miles, were experiencing a high number of assaults and use-of-force incidents.” Since the new border wall has gone up, those assault incidents have plunged by 65 percent, she added. “In these two miles, just illegal entries alone have dropped by 75 percent.” Photo of the Day Official White House Photo by Shealah Craighead U.S. Border Patrol officials listen to President Trump speak on Friday during his visit to Calexico, California | April 5, 2019