Iran’s violent crackdown on protesters has reignited a long-standing debate within the European Union (EU) over whether to designate the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), which is widely seen as central to the crackdown, as a terrorist organization.
Adding the most powerful branch of Iran’s armed forces to the EU’s list of terrorists would put the Revolutionary Guards alongside groups such as Daesh, al-Qaeda, Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad.
According to rules set by the Council of Europe, being designated as a terrorist group subjects its members to travel bans, asset freezes and “prohibition from making financial or economic resources available to the listed persons.”
Diplomats in Brussels say Germany and the Baltic states are among the countries pushing to restart discussions on the issue after two weeks of demonstrations in which protesters were met with extreme violence.
A wide-ranging discussion took place at the EU Political and Security Committee’s ambassadors’ meeting in Brussels this week, but no formal proposals were put forward in writing, a step some member states consider necessary before taking a formal decision.
A US-based Iranian human rights group said it feared more than 2,000 people had been killed in the protests and that public executions could follow.
Dutch Foreign Minister David van Weel was one of the first government officials to speak publicly. impulse Regarding X, the EU called for “listing the Revolutionary Guards as a terrorist organization.”
A similar appeal was made by centrist French lawmaker Pierre-Alexandre Anglade, who argued that Europe “could not remain silent” while “hundreds of civilians have been killed and injured at the hands of the regime’s brutal soldiers, especially the defenders of the revolution.”
The United States, Canada and Australia have already designated the Revolutionary Guards as a foreign terrorist organization. US President Donald Trump warned on Tuesday that Iran would respond “very strongly” if it followed through on its threat of public executions.
Italy, France and Spain have not yet made a decision, according to diplomats briefed on the matter. One diplomat told Euronews that a “meaningful discussion on this issue” should be held first, although he did not explicitly say his country opposed it.
“Shoot someone in the face”
The Revolutionary Guards, established in 1979 by the Islamic Republic’s founder Ruhollah Khomeini, is Iran’s elite military group, including the ground army, navy, air force, and intelligence services, and is solely responsible for the office of Iran’s supreme leader.
The group is accused of leading a violent crackdown on protests in Iran, supplying arms to Russia, firing ballistic missiles at Israel, and maintaining close ties with armed allies including Lebanon’s Hezbollah, the Palestinian territories’ Hamas and Yemen’s Houthi rebels.
In a recent statement broadcast on state television, the Revolutionary Guards accused “terrorists” of attacking military and law enforcement facilities. US President Donald Trump has warned that Iran would face a “very strong reaction” if it hangs protesters, calling Iranian leaders “monsters” who have killed “too many people.”
Meanwhile, President of the European Parliament Roberta Mezzola said to the European Union: interview Euronews said the semicircle supported the terrorist designation and that other EU institutions should do the same.
According to Green Party lawmaker Hannah Newman, who chairs the European Parliament’s delegation on Iran, adding the Revolutionary Guards to the EU’s terrorist list would be a “clear symbol” of support for Iranians.
“We say they are a terrorist organization, which they are, and we express our solidarity with the protesters,” she added. “They shot people in the face.”
Newman added that the terrorist designation “makes it much easier to do what needs to be done,” such as blocking financial transactions.
In 2019, the Trump administration designated the Revolutionary Guards, including its elite Quds Force, as a foreign terrorist organization, and Washington said it was directly involved in “terrorist plots, systematic support of terrorism, and roles in the murder of American citizens.”
In 2023, the European Parliament condemned the Revolutionary Guards’ role in suppressing protests sparked by the death of a 22-year-old boy. Masa Amini. It called on member states to add the Revolutionary Guards, the Quds Force, and the Basij paramilitary group to the EU’s terrorist list.
“Countries in which the Revolutionary Guards operates military, economic or information operations should sever ties with the agency and outlaw it,” the MEPs said.
lack of legal basis
Under EU rules, individuals, groups and entities can only be added to the EU terrorist list after a decision has already been taken by the competent authority of a Member State or a third country. Final approval would also require unanimity, meaning a single member state could block the move.
hope of overcome this hurdle In March 2024, Germany’s Düsseldorf Higher District Court ruled that the 2022 Bochum synagogue attack was orchestrated by Iranian state institutions. The ruling raised hopes that the EU would finally have sufficient legal grounds to proceed, albeit cautiously.
But political considerations also play an important role. Some diplomats say France and Italy were reluctant to completely sever ties with Tehran because of the fate of their nationals held in Iran.
Greece, a leading global shipping industry, has been proactive in protecting Red Sea merchant ships from Houthi attacks and has faced tensions with Iran in the past over seizures of tankers.
Some EU officials also argue that many members of the Revolutionary Guards are already subject to broad EU sanctions related to Iran’s nuclear program, and that adding terrorist designations risks further escalation without significantly changing the bloc’s influence.
