Will EU’s terror listing of besieged Iran's IRGC backfire?
The EU designation could ultimately render the IRGC an even more aggressive and defiant organization aboard, and a more assertive rights violator at home.
TEHRAN — The European Union’s decision to designate Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a terrorist organization could in fact harden Tehran’s stance and ultimately make the IRGC more aggressive and defiant both domestically and internationally.
The move, announced in response to the IRGC-led killing of thousands of Iranian protesters during recent unrest, has triggered a coordinated cascade of condemnation from Iranian officials, military commanders and hard-line media campaigns — all signaling a deepening strategic confrontation against the EU.
Iran's Foreign Ministry characterized the EU's action as submission to US and Israeli pressure, warning that responsibility for its consequences "will lie with European policymakers."
Parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf reinforced the message on X, emphasizing the IRGC's role as "one of the strongest and most effective counter-terrorism forces in the world." He warned that European states will regret the move.
