EU decides to add Iran's Revolutionary Guard to 'terrorist organization' list

Foreign ministers of EU member states gathered in Brussels for the first EU Foreign Affairs Council meeting of the year. European officials reached an agreement on new sanctions against Iran and the recognition of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard as a terrorist organization. EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas announced the decision in a statement on her social media account, saying, "Oppression cannot go unanswered. EU member state foreign ministers have taken a decisive step toward recognizing the Revolutionary Guard as a terrorist organization. Every regime that kills thousands of its own people is moving toward its own collapse."

"It should have been done much sooner"

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen also shared a statement on social media regarding the issue, saying, "I welcome the political consensus reached on new sanctions against the murderous Iranian regime. The same applies to the recognition of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as a terrorist organization. This should have been done much sooner. It is right to call a regime that suppresses its own people's protests with blood a 'terrorist' one. Europe stands with the Iranian people who are fighting bravely for freedom."

"Now is the time to stand tall, Iran will be free"

European Parliament President Roberta Metsola also made a statement via her social media account, saying, "Recognizing the Iranian regime's oppressive Revolutionary Guard as a terrorist organization is the right decision, even though it was a step many considered impossible just a few weeks ago."

Expressing her pride in the European Parliament's role in reaching this decision, Metsola said, "Now is the time to stand tall, Iran will be free."

Organizations on the EU's terror list are subject to various sanctions, including travel bans and the freezing of assets. Meanwhile, Australia, Canada, and the US already designate the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as a terrorist organization. The recognition of the Revolutionary Guard—which has tens of thousands of personnel and is the primary branch of the Iranian armed forces—as a terrorist organization marks a significant shift in Europe's stance toward Iran. The adoption of this decision, which requires unanimity, suggests that countries such as France and Italy, which had previously opposed this step, have now supported the decision.

News Source: 12punto