Tehran, Feb 1 (.) Iran’s parliament has moved to designate the armed forces of the EU member states as terrorist organisations, following Brussel’s decision to formally blacklist Iran’s theocratic paramilitary force, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
IRGC spokesperson Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, citing Article 7 of Iran’s Countermeasures Act, said the move was enacted in direct retaliation against Brussel’s actions.
“In response to the designation of the IRGC by the EU as a terrorist organisation, the armed forces of EU countries are considered terrorist groups, and the consequences of these actions will be shouldered by the EU,” he was quoted as saying by state media.
The move follows an announcement by EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas, who said that all foreign ministers of the bloc’s member states had agreed to add the IRGC to its roster of recognised terror outfits.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian declared that Tehran will be able to weather the EU sanctions, and cautioned that any new attack on Iran would result in a harsher response, pointing to heightened operational readiness across the Artesh and the Sepah.
The IRGC also condemned the EU decision, accusing the bloc of falling in line with US policy.
In a statement on Sunday, the Sepah said the designation reflected “an obvious alignment with US interventionist policies” and argued it would do nothing to improve peace or regional security.
Instead, they said, it would deepen confrontation and make engagement and constructive cooperation more difficult.
Within Iran’s parliamentary circles, calls echoed for swift and substantive measures, with lawmaker Alireza Salimi, a member of the parliament’s presiding board, urging the immediate expulsion of all military attachés from EU embassies in Tehran.
Noting that the Supreme National Council had already passed a legislation classifying European armies as recognised terrorist entities, he argued that continuing their military representatives to be stationed would be a direct violation of Iranian law, and told the foreign ministry to immediately notify all embassies.
Ghalibaf also instructed parliament’s national security and foreign policy committees to pursue the issue with Iran’s foreign ministry, signalling potential future diplomatic action.
. . PRS