WASHINGTON (Reuters) — US President Donald Trump’s administration on Monday urged US diplomats abroad to push allies to designate Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and Lebanon-based Hezbollah as terrorist groups, citing elevated risk of attack, according to an internal State Department cable seen by Reuters.

The directive, dated March 16 and signed by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, was sent to all US diplomatic and consular posts worldwide. It asks US diplomats to deliver the message to their counterparts “at the highest appropriate level” and no later than March 20, adding that the advocacy efforts to get these groups blacklisted should be coordinated with Israeli counterparts.

The Trump administration is attempting to rally reluctant allies – many of whom were not briefed ahead of the US-Israeli air war that started two weeks ago — to support its military operation.

In one sign of trouble for that effort, several US allies said on Monday they had no immediate plans to send ships to help the US unblock the Strait of Hormuz, rebuffing Trump’s plea to keep the vital oil shipping waterway open.

“With the elevated risk of........

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