EU Designates Iran’s IRGC as Terrorist Organization

On Thursday, the European Union (EU) decided to classify Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) as a terrorist organization. Germany announced that it would rapidly move to formalize this decision into a legally binding list.

This action coincides with additional EU sanctions aimed at Iranian officials and organizations in response to a severe crackdown on protests, which have escalated since December 28.

The sanctions have also addressed the Iranian government’s military assistance to Russia.

Ursula von der Leyen, the President of the European Commission, expressed her approval of both the designation and the accompanying sanctions on Thursday.

“We welcome the political agreement on new sanctions against the brutal Iranian regime,” she posted on X. “And the long-awaited designation of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as a terrorist organization.”

She continued, stating, “‘Terrorists’ is precisely what we call a regime that brutally suppresses the protests of its own people. Europe stands united with the Iranian people in their courageous struggle for freedom.”

German Foreign Minister Johann Vardepoul described this decision as a significant political message that reflects the seriousness of the ongoing crackdown in Iran. He indicated that the EU would swiftly implement the designation.

“The next step is to move quickly toward a legally binding listing,” Vardepoul warned, asserting that the EU stands “side by side with the Iranian people” amid the violence.

He criticized the Revolutionary Guards and their affiliates for their extreme violent responses to protests, executions conducted under their oversight, and their destabilizing influence throughout the Middle East.

As of Thursday, the Human Rights Activist News Agency reported 6,373 confirmed deaths, with an additional 17,091 fatalities still being investigated.

The organization also noted the persistence of communication restrictions, slow internet restoration efforts, and ongoing economic and social consequences, describing arrests and security pressures as entering a “post-crackdown phase.”

Additionally, EU foreign ministers have approved new human rights sanctions targeting individuals and entities involved in the suppression of protests in Iran. Those facing sanctions include the Iranian interior minister, key Revolutionary Guards commanders, police chiefs, revolutionary court judges, and cyber officials connected to censorship and surveillance efforts.

Some of these individuals will also face sanctions for their “support” of Russia.

The United States had previously designated the Revolutionary Guards as a foreign terrorist organization in April 2019, a move similarly followed by Canada in June 2024. Bahrain and Saudi Arabia have also labeled the Revolutionary Guards as a terrorist group.

The advocacy group United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI) has endorsed the EU’s decision, urging prompt implementation and calling on the UK to take similar action.

“UANI commends the EU for its announcement to designate the ideological army of the Islamic Republic, the Revolutionary Guards, as terrorists,” the group stated. “We encourage the UK to join the EU, the United States, Canada, and Australia in prohibiting the Revolutionary Guards and ensuring they can no longer operate without consequences abroad.”

In response to the news, Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf rejected the EU’s designation, asserting, “The Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps is among the strongest and most effective counterterrorism forces worldwide. Only those aligned with terrorists would deny their record against ISIS.”