The European Union has added Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) to its terrorist list in response to Tehran's deadly crackdown on protesters in recent weeks. Repression cannot go unanswered, the bloc's top diplomat Kaja Kallas said, adding the move would put the IRGC - a major military, economic and political force in Iran - on the same level as jihadists like al-Qaeda and the Islamic State group.
Iran's Foreign Minister, Abbas Araghchi, dismissed the EU decision as a stunt and a major strategic mistake. Human rights groups estimate that thousands of protesters were killed by security forces, including the IRGC, during weeks of unrest.
Speaking in Brussels, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot condemned the violence in Iran, calling it the most violent repression in Iran's modern history and emphasized that there could be no impunity for the crimes committed. He noted the EU's decision follows Italy's push for the IRGC to be blacklisted.
Kallas stated, Any regime that kills thousands of its own people is working toward its own demise. The EU has imposed additional sanctions on six entities and 15 individuals involved in the suppression of peaceful protests.
The IRGC, established after the 1979 revolution, is responsible for defending Iran's Islamic system and has an estimated 190,000 personnel. It wields considerable influence both domestically and internationally, providing support to allied governments and armed groups.
This designation comes as the US, Canada, and Australia have similarly classified the IRGC as a terrorist organization, although it has yet to be proscribed in the UK.
Iran's Foreign Minister, Abbas Araghchi, dismissed the EU decision as a stunt and a major strategic mistake. Human rights groups estimate that thousands of protesters were killed by security forces, including the IRGC, during weeks of unrest.
Speaking in Brussels, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot condemned the violence in Iran, calling it the most violent repression in Iran's modern history and emphasized that there could be no impunity for the crimes committed. He noted the EU's decision follows Italy's push for the IRGC to be blacklisted.
Kallas stated, Any regime that kills thousands of its own people is working toward its own demise. The EU has imposed additional sanctions on six entities and 15 individuals involved in the suppression of peaceful protests.
The IRGC, established after the 1979 revolution, is responsible for defending Iran's Islamic system and has an estimated 190,000 personnel. It wields considerable influence both domestically and internationally, providing support to allied governments and armed groups.
This designation comes as the US, Canada, and Australia have similarly classified the IRGC as a terrorist organization, although it has yet to be proscribed in the UK.
