Israel has urged the United States not to remove Iran’s Revolutionary Guard (IRGC) from its list of terrorist groups, as nuclear talks in Vienna near a conclusion.

Foreign Minister Yair Lapid said on Monday, “The terrible nuclear deal is about to be signed in Vienna. Iran is seeking to cancel the Revolution Guard’s listing as a terrorist organization. If they’re not a terror group, then what are they? A folk dancing troupe?”

He pointed out that the IRGC – which has been designated as a terror group since 2019 -- sponsors Hezbollah, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, and the Houthis, noting that “The world cannot agree to these audacious conditions. It cannot allow tens of billions of dollars to flow to Iran nor allow it to continue to spread terror around the world.”

“In another two and a half years, the restrictions on Iran will disappear. It will be able to return to its activity with advanced centrifuges and enrich uranium for a bomb”, he said.

Earlier Monday, Lapid called on participants of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations in Jerusalem to ensure that the IRGC is not removed from the terrorist list.

“Everyone in their right mind should go to the Biden administration and say ‘this is wrong, don't do this,’” he said.

Prime Minister Naftali Bennett on Sunday warned that the emerging deal will “likely create a more violent, more volatile Middle East,” said Iran would use freed-up assets to target Israel.