The European Union Moves Towards Classifying the Iranian Revolutionary Guard as a 'Terrorist Organization'

SadaNews - The European Union’s foreign policy chief, Kaia Kalas, stated that the EU is set to make a decision today, Thursday, to include the Iranian Revolutionary Guard on the list of "terrorist organizations".

Kalas made her remarks ahead of a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Brussels, where she said: "When one party acts as a terrorist, it should expect to be treated as a terrorist," according to her statement.

In a related context, the Élysée Palace announced on Wednesday evening that France "supports the inclusion of the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard" on the "EU list of terrorist organizations".

Human rights organizations accuse the Iranian Revolutionary Guard of being behind the repression of recent protests in Iran. Italy intends to present an official proposal to EU countries to add the Iranian Revolutionary Guard to this list.

EU foreign ministers are meeting in Brussels today amid expectations that they will approve new sanctions in response to the crackdown on protests in Iran that have resulted in the deaths of thousands and the arrest of thousands more.

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot stated on the "X" platform: "France will support the inclusion of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard on the EU list of terrorist organizations".

With France, Italy, and Germany joining the supporters of the decision, it is likely to be politically approved, although it requires consensus from the member states of the union, which number 27 countries.

France had previously been hesitant to support the majority of EU countries that sought to include the Revolutionary Guard on the European list of terrorist organizations, similar to the United States.

Barrot stated in a press conference, "We cannot remain silent about the brutal repression of the peaceful uprising of the Iranian people. The extraordinary courage they have shown in the face of the blind violence directed at them cannot go in vain".

The Revolutionary Guard was established after the Islamic Revolution in Iran in 1979 to protect the regime and has extensive influence in the country, controlling large sectors of the economy and armed forces. It has also been assigned responsibility for Iran's ballistic missile program and nuclear program.

Breaking Relations and Concerns About Citizens in Iran

Despite some EU member states previously seeking to include the Revolutionary Guard on the list, other countries, led by France, took a more cautious stance.

These countries feared that this would lead to a complete break in relations with Iran, affecting diplomatic missions and also hindering negotiations aimed at releasing European citizens detained in Iranian prisons.

Paris is particularly concerned about the fate of two of its citizens currently residing in the embassy in Tehran after being released from prison last year.

Anti-government protests that swept Iran since December were met with the most severe crackdown by authorities since the Islamic Revolution in 1979, provoking widespread international condemnation.

Other diplomats supporting the move said that the scale of the security campaign necessitates Europe to send a very strong political message, given the role of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard in this campaign, as well as its external activities that they described as reaching the level of terrorist activities.