European Union foreign ministers have agreed to designate Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) a terrorist entity in a historic move sparked by the brutal crackdown against protesters in Iran.
The EU's foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas described the decision as a "decisive step". She wrote on X: "Repression cannot go unanswered. Any regime that kills thousands of its own people is working towards its own demise."
Separate from Iran's regular armed forces but considered part of the state, the IRGC has its own army, navy, air force and intelligence wing. It reports directly to Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
"The Iranian Revolutionary Guard and its auxiliary forces are the henchmen of the Iranian regime," the German Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
Responding to the EU's decision, Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi said Europe being “busy fanning the flames” of conflict in the region and is now making "another major strategic mistake".
"Europe's PR stunt mainly seeks to cloak that it is an actor in severe decline,” he said, warning that the continent is certain to be "massively impacted by an all-out war in our region" including the knock-on effects of surging energy prices.
Earlier, Iran's Interior Minister Eskandar Momeni was sanctioned by the EU for overseeing the clamp down on the protests that swept the country at the beginning of the year.
Prosecutor General Mohammad Movahedi Azad, as well as Iman Afshari, a presiding judge, were also hit by sanctions for their role in the use of violence, arbitrary detention and intimidation tactics by security forces on demonstrators.
"They were all involved in the violent repression of peaceful protests and the arbitrary arrest of political activists and human rights defenders," the Council of the European Union said.
A summit of foreign ministers in Brussels decided to impose penalties on a number of IRGC commanders and high-ranking officers of the Iranian police and security forces.
The measures now apply to a total of 247 individuals and 50 entities in Iran, and include frozen assets, travel bans to EU territory and the prohibition of making funds or economic resources available to those listed.
The EU said it was expressing solidarity with the Iranian people as they voice their legitimate aspirations for freedom and dignity.
Victims of IRGC threats, intimidation and harassment welcomed the EU decision.
Alireza Akhondi, a member of the Swedish parliament of Iranian descent and vocal critic of the current regime needs 24-hor security after being targeted by the IRGC. He told The National was “very, very happy” at the move.
“I feel like a prisoner in my own home but I knew this would be the consequence. But compared to the thousands who have been killed in Iran, it’s a small price to pay.”
Omid Shams, a UK-based Iranian opposition activist who is a lawyer and writer, revealed that an IRGC linked account published a video in which him, other lawyers and journalists were shown with bullet mark on our photos.
Mr Shams said told The National the move “is a great step” but added "the gravity of the crimes committed by Iranian regime requires even further steps to be taken.
“These include cutting diplomatic relations and eventually recognition of the opposition as legitimate representatives of the Iranian people.”
He said the IRGC loomed large in the lives of Iranian opposition figures.
“These threats against me and my family have always been there. More worrisome is that we know they don’t hesitate to target our families.”
Hannah Neumann, a member of Germany’s Green party, who was the victim of cyber-hacking orchestrated by a group associated with the IRGC, also welcome the designation.
“This is a long-overdue political signal that massive violence and transnational repression will no longer go unanswered," she said.
“For the people in Iran and for the Iranian diaspora in Europe, this sends a clear message - the long era of impunity is coming to an end. Threats, intimidation, and repression will no longer be tolerated. Perpetrators and their supporters must expect determined prosecution.”
The decision by the bloc's 27 foreign ministers to blacklist the IRGC looks set to severely restrict relations with the Iranian state. The political decision will be submitted for for formal approval at a future European Council meeting.
The three EU states – France, Spain and Italy – that traditionally oppose the designation dropped their resistance this week.
The scale of the killings in Iran, which NGOs have said could number in the tens of thousands, has sent shock waves through Europe and the wider world. Germany, which houses more than 300,000 Iranians, pushed strongly with the Netherlands for the listing.
"Not everyone in the Iranian government or regime is connected to the IRGC but it is an important backbone in the regime structure," Dutch Foreign Minister David van Weel said. "It's also an important backbone in what has happened in the past weeks.
"Therefore I think it's important we sent this signal, the bloodshed we have seen, the bestiality of the violence that has been used against protesters cannot be tolerated."
The German Foreign Ministry said the IRGC had "blood on their hands."
"They are the ones who act with immeasurable brutality against their own population, who have effectively executed their own people for daring to raise their voices in the streets. They are responsible for the destabilising role that Iran plays in the region. They are behind attempted attacks here in Germany and in Europe."
Relations between Europe and Iran are already at a low since the so-called E3 – the UK, France and Germany – led the reinstatement of UN sanctions on Iran in September.
However, a handful of European countries including France and Sweden have embassies in Tehran, while the US does not.
Two French citizens who were freed from Evin prison in Tehran in October now live at the French embassy because they have not yet been allowed to return to France by Iranian authorities.
Iran would isolate itself even further should it retaliate by cutting off all diplomatic relations with Europe, Mr van Weel said. "Iran needs to do the talking now," he said. Mr van Weel also urged Tehran to resume talks with the US over its nuclear programme.
