Walid Phares, director of the Future Terrorism Project and the author of the "War of Ideas," applauded the U.S. government for its actions Thursday regarding sanctions on Iran.
He said: "Today's U.S. Treasury Department revelation of financial measures being taken against the Iranian military can only be described as a strategic masterstroke against the heart of the Iranian regime.
"The [Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps] is indeed the backbone of the Iranian regime, comparable to a combined Communist Party, militia force, and KGB during the height of the Stalinist regime in the Soviet Union.
"Then there is the Ministry of Defense and Armed Forces Logistics (MODAFL). This is Iran's defense apparatus: Key positions are in the hands of hardcore Khomeinists, though the majority of the military elements are not necessarily part of the jihadi regime.
"The measures taken ... are impacting the programs believed to be at the heart of future Iranian intercontinental ballistic missile systems."
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