Earlier this month, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu uncovered a secret nuclear facility in Iran which he said Tehran had used to try and develop nuclear weapons. Netanyahu said Iran destroyed the facility after learning that Israel had detected it. Israel has reportedly attacked Iranian military assets in Iraq, Syria, and Lebanon in recent months to prevent the regime from attacking the Jewish state.

In April, US President Donald Trump officially designated the IRGC as a terrorist organization. "This unprecedented step, led by the Department of State, 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," the president said in a statement. "The IRGC is the Iranian government's primary means of directing and implementing its global terrorist campaign."  The unprecedented move is the first time the United States has labeled another country's military a terrorist group. The designation came with sanctions against Iran, including a freeze on assets the IRGC may have in US jurisdictions and a ban on Americans doing business with the Guard.