European Union states have agreed to blacklist a key arm of the Iranian regime as a terrorist organisation in response to the fierce crackdown on recent anti-government demonstrations in the country.
At a meeting in Brussels, foreign ministers decided to designate the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) a terrorist organisation, a move that would further ostracise Iran diplomatically.
The IRGC, the enforcer of the autocratic Iranian regime that answers to supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, is already subject to wide-ranging EU economic sanctions. Listing the state military force as a terrorist outfit would put it in the same category as al-Qaeda and Islamic State, adding to Iran’s isolation.
European governments have some concerns the decision could hamper the ability of their diplomats based in Tehran to engage with Iranian authorities.
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Kaja Kallas, the EU’s top representative on foreign affairs, said those “risks” had been factored into the decision. “The estimate is that the diplomatic channels will remain open, even after the listing of the Revolutionary Guards,” she said.
On Thursday evening, Iran’s foreign ministry condemned what it said was the “illegal and unjustified” designation. It said the EU’s claim it is concerned about human rights in Iran is a “blatant lie and hypocrisy”.
The German government has been pushing for a joint EU decision to list the IRGC as a terrorist organisation. A small cohort of member states, including France, had expressed some reservations, centred around the impact on embassies’ ability to operate. Earlier this week Paris signalled it was open to the terror designation.
The IRGC plays a key role in suppressing dissent inside Iran, aiding allied Middle East proxy forces such as Hamas and Hizbullah, and also controls parts of many important industries in the country.
[ At least 5,000 people killed in Iran protests, official saysOpens in new window ]
Recent mass demonstrations and the violent crackdown that followed have created a crisis for the autocratic regime. United States president Donald Trump is mulling military strikes targeting Iran, in an effort to topple the regime.
“Those who operate through terror must be treated as terrorists,” Ms Kallas told a press conference after the meeting of EU foreign ministers.
“We are also sending a clear message that if you are suppressing people, it has a price, and you will be also sanctioned for this.”
Commenting on the prospect of US military strikes on Iran, Ms Kallas said the region “does not need a new war”.
Separately, Ms Kallas said Russia was “pretending” to be interested in peace talks to end the war in Ukraine.
Ukraine could not be expected to make “very hard concessions” in any deal if it did not have solid guarantees to prevent the truce being broken by Russia, Ms Kallas said.
Senior EU officials briefed on the progress of talks between Ukraine and the US say Kyiv appears satisfied Washington will offer a sufficiently binding commitment to provide a backstop for a peace deal and lend its military weight to deter any future Russian attack.
Russia has said Ukraine would need to cede remaining territory it holds in its Donbas region as part of any truce agreement.
EU officials and national diplomats are drawing up a 20th package of economic sanctions targeting Russia. It is expected the latest batch of measures squeezing Moscow will be approved around the four-year anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine next month.
Former Russian soldiers who fought in Ukraine should be barred from entering the EU in the event of any truce, Margus Tsahkna, Estonian foreign minister has said.
Speaking before the meeting of foreign ministers, Mr Tsahkna said Europe could not allow a situation where former Russian combatants ended up in EU member states after the war ended. “There cannot be a path from Bucha to Brussels,” he said.
