The foreign minister announced a clear reversal of France’s stance on Iran’s crackdown on protests, saying “we cannot ignore the answer.”
France has vowed to support the European Union’s efforts to designate Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) as a “terrorist organization,” reversing its previous stance of opposition.
In a statement shared on social media on Wednesday, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrault appeared to link the planned designation to Iranian authorities’ recent crackdown on anti-government protests across the country.
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“The intolerable repression of the Iranian people’s peaceful uprising cannot go unchecked. Their extraordinary courage in the face of the violence heaped upon them cannot go in vain,” Barot wrote in X.
“Together with our European partners, we will take action tomorrow in Brussels against those responsible for these atrocities. They will be expelled from European territory and their assets will be frozen,” he said.
“France supports the designation of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps on the list of European terrorist organizations.”
EU foreign ministers are expected to meet in Brussels on Thursday to approve new sanctions against the Revolutionary Guards.
The Italian-led move requires unanimity among the bloc’s 27 member states, but is likely to gain political approval.
The Revolutionary Guards, established after Iran’s 1979 Islamic Revolution, is a branch of Iran. military it He answered directly to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei.
The agency oversees Iran’s missile and nuclear programs and plays a central role in Iran’s defense as well as its foreign operations and influence in the wider region.
Some EU member states have previously called for the Revolutionary Guards to be added to the EU’s “terrorist” list, but others, led by France, have been more cautious.
They feared that such a move could lead to a complete severance of relations with Iran, impacting diplomatic missions, and also negatively impacting negotiations for the release of European nationals held in Iranian prisons.
Paris is particularly concerned about the fate of the two nationals, who are currently living in the embassy in Tehran after being released last year.
The EU’s push to impose sanctions on the Revolutionary Guards comes amid global criticism of a crackdown on a wave of protests in Iran that erupted last month in the wake of soaring inflation and an economic crisis.
The US-based Human Rights Defenders News Agency (HRANA) said it had confirmed at least 6,221 deaths, including at least 5,858 protesters, in connection with the weeks-long protests, and that it was investigating the remaining 12,904.
The Iranian government put the death toll at 3,117, with 2,427 civilians and members of the security forces and the rest described as “terrorists”.
Al Jazeera has not been able to independently verify these numbers.
The protests have also sparked new tensions between Iran and the United States, as US President Donald Trump has repeatedly threatened in recent weeks to launch an attack on Iran.
President Trump designated the Revolutionary Guards as a “terrorist” group in 2019 during his first term.
Canada and Australia took similar measures in 2024 and last November, respectively.
Iran has warned of “devastating consequences” if the EU goes ahead with plans to list the Revolutionary Guards and summoned Italy’s ambassador, accusing Rome of spearheading the move.
