The head of the Hezbollah terrorist organization, Hassan Nasrallah, on Wednesday condemned the US decision to designate Iran's Revolutionary Guards a terrorist group as foolish, AFP reported.
Hezbollah was created at the initiative of the Revolutionary Guards during the Lebanese civil war in 1982.
The group is a key ally of Tehran and has supported Iran-backed groups in Syria, Iraq and Yemen.
In a televised speech, Nasrallah slammed Monday's designation by the United States.
"This is the height of insolence and foolishness," he said, adding, "We condemn, denounce and rebuke this decision.”
Nasrallah lauded the elite Iranian military force, saying it "did not only provide financial and moral support" to its regional allies, but also sacrificed its "best commanders, officers and fighters" to battles outside of Iran.
"After the Americans put all groups and movements of the resistance on terror lists... they want to reach the primary and central power which is the Revolutionary Guards," Nasrallah said, according to AFP.
He added that his organization and other Iranian-backed groups will not respond to the decision with force, but threatened escalation if more measures are taken against Iran or its allies in the region.
"Condemnation will suffice for now," he said. "But this does not mean we don't have stronger cards to play. This is not a permanent policy."
A US move to blacklist the IRGC as a terrorist organization had been rumored for several months before President Donald Trump’s announcement on Monday. The Islamic Republic has promised a “crushing” response if the United States goes through with the move.
Shortly after the US announced its move, Iran countered by declaring the United States a "state sponsor of terrorism" and US forces in the region "terrorist groups".