LAT:

Iran’s military establishment defended itself Friday in response to reports that President Trump would seek new economic sanctions against the elite Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

Hours before Trump was due to announce his decision to alter the 2015 Iranian nuclear agreement, the Revolutionary Guards issued a statement through the Sepah news agency, boasting that it was “the most effective corps in the region.”

Iran’s military public relations — representing ground, air and naval forces — also rallied behind the elite force, saying that any insult to the Revolutionary Guards “is an insult to the entire ruling establishment,” Sepah reported.

Officials said Trump would direct the Treasury Department to blacklist the Revolutionary Guards, the powerful force that leads Iran’s military operations overseas. The White House accuses it of arming Syrian President Bashar Assad, undermining the fight against Islamic State through proxy Shiite Muslim forces in Iraq, supporting Houthi rebels battling a U.S.-backed government in Yemen and launching cyberattacks.

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