EU foreign ministers will approve listing Iran‘s Revolutionary Guards as a terrorist organization on Thursday following Tehran’s violent protest crackdown. EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas confirmed the decision ahead of the Brussels meeting.
“If you act as a terrorist, you should also be treated as terrorists,” stated top diplomat Kaja Kallas in Brussels. She noted that this legal step places the Revolutionary Guards on the same level as Al-Qaeda or Islamic State. Consequently, the 27-nation bloc will also approve visa bans and asset freezes on 21 state entities and Iranian officials.
Mounting Human Rights Concerns
While Iranian authorities claim security forces died during the riots, international rights groups vehemently dispute these official state accounts. Activists suggest that security forces, specifically the IRGC, directly killed tens of thousands of citizens during the recent violent crackdowns. Furthermore, the IRGC serves as the ideological arm of Tehran’s military and controls massive sectors of the Iranian economy today.
“The estimate is that still the diplomatic channels will remain open even after the listing of the Revolutionary Guards,” Kallas added. France and Italy recently shifted their positions to support the move despite previous concerns regarding detained European citizens in Iran.
Demands for Accountability
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot emphasized that the international community cannot allow these crimes to continue with total impunity. “This decision is also an appeal by France to the Iranian authorities to release the prisoners thrown by thousands into prisons,” Barrot said. He also urged the regime to end internet blackouts and allow the Iranian people to choose their own future.
The EU previously sanctioned hundreds of Iranian officials for supporting the Russian invasion of Ukraine and suppressing internal political dissent. Because the EU already sanctions senior commanders, this new designation functions primarily as a powerful symbolic message to Tehran’s leadership.
