Web Desk (MNN); The European Union has officially designated Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a terrorist organisation, a step that has triggered strong backlash from Tehran and further strained diplomatic relations.
According to British media, the decision was taken by EU foreign ministers, placing the IRGC, commonly known as the Revolutionary Guards, on the bloc’s list of terrorist entities. EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said the move was aimed at responding to repression and violence.
In a social media statement, Kallas said repression could not go unanswered, adding that any regime responsible for killing thousands of its own citizens was ultimately working toward its own collapse. She said the designation puts the IRGC in the same category as groups such as al-Qaeda and Daesh.
Despite the move, Kallas said the European Union still hoped to keep diplomatic channels with Iran open.
Iranian Foreign Minister Syed Abbas Araghchi strongly criticised the decision, calling it another serious strategic mistake by Europe. In a social media post, he accused European countries of fuelling regional instability instead of helping to prevent a broader conflict.
Araghchi said that while some countries were trying to avert a full-scale war in the region, none of them were European, adding that Europe was instead “adding fuel to the fire”. He said that after pushing the snapback mechanism under US pressure, Europe had now committed another major error by branding Iran’s national military as a terrorist organisation.
He termed Europe’s position blatant hypocrisy, accusing it of remaining silent over what he described as Israel’s actions in Gaza while quickly claiming to defend human rights in Iran. The Iranian foreign minister said the move was a public relations exercise meant to hide Europe’s declining global influence.
Araghchi also warned that Europe would itself suffer serious consequences from any large-scale regional conflict, including sharp rises in energy prices, saying the EU’s current stance was against its own interests.
