European Parliament Urges Designation of Iran's Revolutionary Guard as a 'Terrorist Organization'

Reasons for Calls to Suppress Anti-Government Protest Violence

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Pyeonghwa] The European Parliament has called for the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) of Iran to be added to the European Union (EU) list of terrorist organizations.

According to multiple foreign media outlets including Reuters, on the 18th (local time), the European Parliament adopted an annexed amendment to its annual foreign policy report, passing a document urging the addition of the IRGC to the terrorist organization list. The proposal demands that the EU and member state governments include the IRGC on the EU terrorist organization list.

The scene of the solidarity rally for the anti-government protests in Iran held in Berlin, Germany, last December [Image source=Yonhap News]

Previously, in Iran, an incident occurred last September where a female university student who was arrested for not wearing a hijab died under suspicious circumstances. Following nationwide protests across Iran, violent crackdowns by the IRGC continued. The IRGC also provided drones to Russia, which invaded Ukraine. This is the background behind the European Parliament's call to list the IRGC as an EU terrorist organization.

Adoption of this document by the European Parliament does not obligate the EU to designate the IRGC as a terrorist organization. However, if the EU adds the IRGC to the terrorist list, those affiliated with it can be considered criminals and have their assets frozen within the EU.

Iran has responded critically to the European move. According to the state-run IRNA news agency, Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian criticized Europe's response as "emotional and wrong." He also explained that the IRGC plays a central role in Iran's security.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.