According to EU top diplomat Kaja Kallas, the European Union has designated Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a “terrorist organisation” after a meeting of European Foreign Ministers.
Kallas disclosed that Foreign Ministers unanimously agreed on the designation. “Any regime that kills thousands of its own people is working toward its own demise,” she said.
France had objected to listing the Revolutionary Guard as a terrorist organization over fears it would endanger French citizens detained in Iran, as well as diplomatic missions.
However, it later signaled it backed the move. French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot said before the Foreign Affairs Council in Brussels that France supports more sanctions in Iran and the listing “because there can be no impunity for the crimes committed.” “In Iran, the unbearable repression that has engulfed the peaceful revolt of the Iranian people cannot go unanswered,” he said.
The Revolutionary Guard holds vast business interest across Iran, and sanctions could see any of its assets in Europe seized.
The European Union also sanctioned 15 Iranian officials, including top commanders of the Revolutionary Guard, over the violent crackdown on protesters. Activists say that the crackdown has seen at least 6,373 people killed.
Additionally, it sanctioned six organizations in Iran, including those involved in monitoring online content, as the country remains gripped by a three-week internet blackout by authorities.
The sanctions mean that affected officials and organizations will have their assets frozen and their travel to Europe banned, French Foreign Affairs Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said earlier today.
Iran already struggles under the weight of multiple international sanctions from countries including the US and Britain.
Moreover, Kallas urged tougher action against Tehran, shortly after the EU designated the IRGC a terrorist group.
Kallas told a press conference, “In Iran, the horrific crackdown on protesters has come at a heavy human cost,” while highlighting a new round of sanctions on Iranian officials “responsible for the brutal crackdown of protests, including the Minister of Interior.”
She noted that the bloc already has “sweeping sanctions” in place.
Kallas said the bloc has also expanded export controls and demanded Iran free all those “unjustly detained, including the European Union citizens.” “Going forward, we must be ready to further increase pressure on the authorities and continue supporting Iran civil society,” she added.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen called the EU decision to list Iran’s IRGC as a terrorist organisation appropriate and “long overdue.”
“‘Terrorist’ is indeed how you call a regime that crushes its own people’s protests in blood. Europe stands with the people of Iran in their brave fight for freedom.”
Ursula von der Leyen
Araghchi Slams EU’s IRGC Designation As ‘Publicity Stunt’
Iranian Foreign Minister, Abbas Araghchi slammed the EU’s move to list the IRGC as a “terrorist organisation” is a “major strategic mistake” that demonstrates “selective outrage.”
“Putting aside the blatant hypocrisy of its selective outrage – taking zero action in response to Israel’s Genocide in Gaza and yet rushing to ‘defend human rights’ in Iran – Europe’s PR stunt mainly seeks to cloak that it is an actor in severe decline.
“Moreover, as the continent is certain to be massively impacted by an all-out war in our region – including the knock-on effects of surging energy prices – the EU’s current posture is deeply damaging to its own interests. Europeans deserve better than what their governments have to offer.”
Abbas Araghchi
Also, the General Staff of the Armed Forces issued a response to the EU’s designation of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), a component of Iran’s armed forces.
The statement called the EU’s actions “illogical, irresponsible and spiteful,” saying they had been carried out “in unconditional obedience to the hegemonic and inhumane policies of the United States and the Zionist [Israeli] regime.”
The measures, while largely symbolic, add to international pressures on the Islamic Republic, which faces a threat of military action from US.
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