Other countries, including the U.S. and Canada, have previously designated the Guard as a terrorist organization. Iran also faces the threat of U.S. military action in response to the killing of peaceful demonstrators and over possible mass executions. The Revolutionary Guard holds vast business interest across Iran, and sanctions could allow its assets in Europe to be seized. The Guard emerged from Iran’s 1979 Islamic Revolution as a force meant to protect its Shiite cleric-overseen government and was later enshrined in its constitution. American military officials did not immediately respond to a request for comment.