EU lists Iran’s Revolutionary Guard as terrorist group

EU foreign ministers have listed Iran’s Revolutionary Guard as a terrorist organisation, after Tehran’s brutal repression of popular protests pushed Paris and other capitals to drop their opposition to the move.

Thousands of protesters have been killed by the theocratic regime’s forces in recent weeks as Tehran seeks to smother protests across the country, initially sparked by economic distress but morphing into demands to overthrow the supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

The move, which received unanimous backing of the EU’s capitals at a meeting of foreign ministers on Thursday afternoon, came as US President Donald Trump warned Tehran that a naval force heading to the region could strike Iranian targets.

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) is listed as a terror organisation by the US, Australia and Canada. The EU decision came after France said late on Wednesday that it supported the move.

Kaja Kallas, the EU’s chief diplomat, said: “Repression cannot go unanswered. EU foreign ministers just took the decisive step of designating Iran’s Revolutionary Guard as a terrorist organisation. Any regime that kills thousands of its own people is working toward its own demise.”

Kallas had earlier said the decision “will put them on the same footing with al-Qaeda, Hamas, Daesh”.

Iran’s foreign minister Abbas Araghchi called the decision a “mistake” and “PR stunt”.

“Several countries are presently attempting to avert the eruption of all-out war in our region. None of them are European. Europe is instead busy fanning the flames,” he said in a social media post on X.

Members of the IRGC are subject to EU sanctions already, but listing the entire state military organisation subjects all individuals connected to the group to travel bans, asset freezes and completely severs their connections to the European financial system.

France had previously pushed back against the move, warning it could endanger European citizens in Iran, cut off diplomatic channels to Tehran and put European embassies there at risk, or spark reprisals against western entities.

But Paris shifted in favour on Wednesday evening, citing the brutal crackdown on protests in which the IRGC played an important role.

“The unbearable repression of the peaceful uprising of the Iranian people cannot go unanswered,” foreign minister Jean-Noël Barrot said in announcing he would support the terror designation. “The extraordinary courage they have shown in the face of the blind violence unleashed upon them cannot be in vain. Together with our European partners, we will adopt sanctions . . . against those responsible for these abuses.”

Madrid and a handful of smaller member states that had also urged caution on the listing pivoted with France.

The UK was not expected to follow the EU in proscribing the IRGC because this could cause the British embassy in Tehran to be shut, said several experts.

One expert at a London-based think-tank said the US considered the British embassy vital for intelligence collection and wanted it to remain open.

Current and former British officials listed other considerations too. “There is scepticism about using counterterrorism powers on what is a state threat,” said Paddy McGuinness, formerly the UK deputy national security adviser for intelligence.

“Any arrangement with Iran, say if Khamenei dies or there is decapitation or there is a fracture or loss of control, will need to include the IRGC. So making them a terrorist group now would merely complicate matters,” he said.