Washington: Investing in Iran is like “cutting a cheque” to the country’s Revolutionary Guards, a group labelled as a terrorist organisation by the US, according to US President Donald Trump’s national security adviser.

Speaking at a security conference on Saturday, National Security Adviser H.R. McMaster called out Germany, Japan and South Korea for their investments in Iran.

“When you’re investing in Iran, you’re investing in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps [IRGC], a military entity that’s intertwined in the Iranian economy and has drawn US sanctions,” McMaster said. “You might as well cut the IRGC a cheque.”

Military and political leaders at a security conference in Munich differed over how to resolve the long-term security concerns that linger on in the Middle East. Russia’s former ambassador to the US, Sergey Kislyak, urged Washington to find the “wisdom and courage” needed to stick by the Iranian nuclear deal agreed with world powers in July 2015.

The Trump administration continues “looking to correct the flaws” in the Iran deal, Sullivan said. The US is in talks with its European allies about reining in Iran’s missile program and regional influence, with results expected by May 12, he said.