The European Union has designated Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) a “terrorist organization” over its deadly crackdown on anti-government protests in the country.
EU foreign policy chief Kaja Karas said on Thursday that EU foreign ministers had taken a “decisive step” to classify the Revolutionary Guards as a “terrorist” group.
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“Oppression cannot go unanswered,” Karas wrote on social media. “A regime that kills thousands of its own citizens is working towards its own demise.”
Iran’s Foreign Ministry condemned the decision, calling it “illegal, political and contrary to international law” and a violation of its internal affairs.
It added that the Iranian government “reserves the right to take appropriate measures within the framework of international law to protect the sovereignty, national security and interests of the Iranian state, and the European Union and its member states are responsible for the consequences of this action.”
The Revolutionary Guards, established after Iran’s 1979 Islamic Revolution, is an elite branch of the country’s military that directs Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei and oversees Iran’s missile and nuclear programs.
Separately on Thursday, the European Council also announced new sanctions against 15 individuals and six entities “responsible for serious human rights violations in Iran” following the crackdown on protests.
The council said in a statement that those targeted include Iran’s Interior Minister Eskandar Momeni and Prosecutor General Mohammad Movahedi Azad.
Iran is facing a wave of international condemnation for using force to quell mass protests that began late last month amid public anger over soaring inflation and socio-economic problems.
Iranian authorities confirmed 3,117 deaths, including 2,427 civilians and members of the security forces, and accused Israel and the United States of inciting the unrest.
The US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) said on Wednesday that at least 6,373 people have been killed since the demonstrations began, including 5,993 protesters.
Al Jazeera has not been able to independently verify these numbers.
Al Jazeera’s Hashem Aherbala, reporting from Brussels, said the bloc’s decision to blacklist the Revolutionary Guards and impose sanctions on Iranian officials was aimed at sending a “strong political message” to Tehran.
“It was not an easy decision, especially regarding the designation of the Revolutionary Guards as a ‘terrorist organization,'” Aherballa explained, noting that France in particular wanted to maintain lines of communication with Iran.
“But when Europeans saw the crackdown on protesters going on, they said, ‘No. We need to send a strong message,'” he said.
Iran condemns EU’s ‘selective outrage’
Meanwhile, Iranian officials forcefully rejected the EU’s announcement, with Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi accusing the EU of “fanning the flames” amid rising tensions in the region.
“Aside from the blatant hypocrisy of selective outrage, Europe’s PR stunt of taking no action against Israel’s genocide in Gaza and yet rushing to ‘defend human rights’ in Iran is primarily an attempt to hide the fact that Europe is an actor in deep decline,” Araghchi wrote on social media.
“Furthermore, the EU’s current stance seriously undermines its own interests, as the continent is certain to be severely affected by a full-scale war in the region, including the knock-on effects of rising energy prices.”
Iran’s Armed Forces General Staff echoed this sentiment, calling the registration of the Revolutionary Guards “illogical and irresponsible” and saying it was “an expression of clear hostility to the Iranian state and national independence.”
Al Jazeera’s Tohid Assadi, reporting from the Iranian capital Tehran, said the “unprecedented” escalation between Iran and the EU comes amid a U.S. military buildup in the Middle East, raising concerns about a potential conflict.
US President Donald Trump has repeatedly threatened to attack Iran in recent weeks, citing its crackdown on protests and Iran’s nuclear program.
On Wednesday, President Trump warned that a “massive” U.S. armada was headed toward Iran and that he was prepared to use “violence” to accomplish that mission unless Iran agreed to nuclear negotiations with the United States.
Iranian officials rejected Trump’s comments, saying they would not negotiate while under threat and that Iran’s military was prepared to respond “immediately and forcefully” to a possible U.S. attack.
Last June, the Trump administration joined Israel in a 12-day military offensive against Iran that hit three Iranian nuclear facilities, with Trump previously saying the country’s nuclear program had been “annihilated.”
