Washington, DC: March 2, 2018. (PCP) In Defense of Christians (IDC), the nation's leading advocacy organization for Christians and religious minorities in the Middle East, applauds Rep. Eliot Engel and Rep. Ed Royce for Introducing H.R. 5132., a Bill Targeting the The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), a branch of Iran's Armed Forces intended to protect the country's Islamic Republic system that is also involved in foreign destabilization. The bipartisan bill authorizes the administration to sanction entities in which the IRGC has an ownership stake of less than 50 percent, significantly raising the stakes for anyone doing business with the IRGC. On Friday, IDC's Executive Director Philippe Nassif said "This is a great first step in countering Iran's malign influence in the Middle East. The IRGC trains thousands of foreign operatives to destabilize other countries, such as in Iraq and Lebanon." IDC continues to call for the full implementation of U.N. Security Council Resolution 1701 calling for the disarmament of all armed groups in Lebanon as well as for U.N. Security Council Resolution 1559 which declares support for a free and fair presidential election in Lebanon conducted without foreign interference or influence.