Earlier this week, an administration official said that Iran's Revolutionary Guard would be listed as a terrorist organization, which could have financial implications for the business interests it controls. Today, Iran's top cleric, Ayatollah Ahmad Khatami, said that he considers the classification a compliment:

The U.S. move to blacklist Iran's Revolutionary Guard as a terrorist group will be a matter of pride for the organization said a senior Iranian cleric in the official weekly sermon on Friday.

Ayatollah Ahmad Khatami, who does not hold a government post but once a month delivers the official Friday prayer sermon, told thousands of worshippers at Tehran University in a speech broadcast on radio that the designation showed that the Guards were doing something right.

"I believe the U.S. decision for including the Guards in the list of terrorist organizations is an honor and a golden card in their file," he said. "Whenever your enemy is saying something bad about an organization, it shows that the organization has been effective," he added.

The Baker-Hamilton group and others have urged the administration to have direct talks with Iran; I believe such talks have already taken place with respect to Iraq. Isn't it a little hard, though, to find common ground with a country whose leaders think it's a compliment to be considered a terrorist?

To comment on this post, go here.