EU could designate Iran’s Revolutionary Guard as terrorists

Several opponents of the move have reportedly made a U-Turn on blacklisting the official branch of the Iranian military

European Union foreign ministers are poised to debate whether to designate Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a terrorist organization. The proposal, long discussed and repeatedly stalled, has gained momentum after several key member states reportedly shifted their positions.

Previously, nations including France, Italy, and Spain had expressed firm opposition. They argued that blacklisting the IRGC – an official branch of the Iranian military – would sever critical diplomatic channels with Tehran and potentially provoke retaliatory measures against European interests.

According to diplomatic sources cited by Politico and Euronews on Wednesday, that resistance has now softened. France’s Elysee Palace and Spain’s foreign ministry have indicated a new willingness to support the listing, citing Iran’s domestic crackdown on protests and its military support for Russia. Italy also reportedly changed its stance earlier in the week.

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This shift raises the possibility of achieving the unanimous vote required among the 27 member states at their meeting on Thursday. The foreign ministers are also expected to approve separate sanctions targeting Iranian individuals and entities for alleged human rights abuses.

Western powers accuse the Revolutionary Guards of committing atrocities during recent unrest. Tehran blames the US and Israel for fueling the protests, in which it says more than 3,000 people have been killed and numerous public and government buildings destroyed, to justify potential foreign military intervention.

If approved, the EU would join only a handful of nations that have formally declared the IRGC a terrorist entity, notably the United States, Israel, Canada, Australia, Saudi Arabia, and Bahrain.

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Washington officially labeled the IRGC as a terrorist organization during President Donald Trump’s first term in 2019. It later used it as justification for the January 2020 drone assassination strike that killed senior commander Qasem Soleimani on Iraqi territory.

Iran has consistently warned that any such designation would be met with severe reciprocal measures. In 2019, Tehran officially labeled the US Central Command (CENTCOM) as a terrorist organization. In early 2023, following a non-binding European Parliament resolution calling for the IRGC’s blacklisting, Iran’s parliament drafted legislation that would designate the armed forces of all EU member states as terrorist organizations.