European Union adds IRGC to terror list, expands sanctions
As the extent of the killing of protests is gradually revealed, the European Union has decided to designate Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as a terrorist organization.
BRUSSELS — The European Union placed Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps on its list of terrorist organizations on Thursday as US President Donald Trump warned Tehran that "time is running out" and that it must agree to negotiate a new nuclear deal.
EU foreign affairs chief Kaja Kallas announced in a post on X that European foreign ministers took "the decisive step" on Thursday, adding, "Any regime that kills thousands of its own people is working toward its own demise."
A French diplomatic source told Al-Monitor that while the terror designation is not needed to continue sanctioning Iranian individuals and entities, it sends a strong political message to the regime about the persecution and killing of protesters.
"A number of countries changed their mind over this issue in the last few days," Dutch Foreign Minister David van Weel told Al-Monitor on Thursday. "The designation as a terrorist organization would have a real impact on IRGC dealings with the EU and in the broader context."
Condemning what he called a "PR stunt," Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi subsequently wrote on X, "Several countries are presently attempting to avert the eruption of all-out war in our region," adding, "Europe is instead busy fanning the flames." He called the designation a "strategic mistake."
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar welcomed the EU move on X, saying it will “deal a significant economic blow to an organization that controls a vast share of the Iranian regime’s economy.” He added that Israel had worked for years, and very intensely in recent weeks, to achieve this outcome.
Kallas said Thursday that the branding of IRGC "will put them on the same footing with al-Qaeda, Hamas, Daesh," noting, "If you act as a terrorist, you should also be treated as a terrorist." Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna also told Al-Monitor the time has come for the EU to step up and "call the IRGC what it is: a terror group."
Alongside the designation of the IRGC, the European foreign ministers also adopted another package of sanctions against 21 state entities and Iranian officials. The sanctions, including visa bans and asset freezes, target Iranian ministers, prosecutors, police chiefs and senior members of the IRGC. The list includes Iranian Interior Minister Eskandar Momeni, Prosecutor General Mohammad Movahedi-Azad, IRGC commanders, senior police officials, the Iranian Audio-Visual Media Regulatory Authority, the Seraj Cyberspace Organization and several software companies.
France, Spain, Italy change their tune
The IRGC, one of the most powerful organizations in the country, has ground, naval and air forces. Created in 1979 in the aftermath of the Iranian revolution, it answers directly to Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. Originally tasked with safeguarding the regime, preventing foreign interference and suppressing internal dissent, it has expanded deeply into Iran’s politics, economy and society, becoming what Reuters described in 2019 as a political and industrial empire. Amnesty International and other humanitarian groups reported this month that the IRGC and its Basij units have played a key role in violently suppressing the recent protests.
Listing the body as a terrorist organization requires consensus among the bloc’s 27 member states. Over the years, several countries have been reluctant to brand the IRGC, chief among them France, but also Spain and Belgium, due to fears of the decision's impact on European nationals imprisoned in the country and diplomatic dialogue channels. Cecile Kohler and Jacques Paris, the last French nationals imprisoned in Iran, were released from jail on Nov. 4, 2025, though they are not authorized to leave the country. They are staying in the French Embassy in Tehran.
In contrast, Germany, the Netherlands, Sweden and Estonia have been pushing for the move. The French Foreign Ministry told Al-Monitor as recently as last week that Paris would debate the issue with its European partners.
Still, the human rights reports on IRGC involvement in the suppression of the protests and the killing of protesters clearly swept away European hesitations.
On Jan. 22, the European Parliament adopted a resolution condemning what it described as the “brutal repression and mass murders” carried out by Tehran and calling for the designation of the IRGC as a terrorist organization. On Wednesday German Chancellor Friedrich Merz reiterated his call for blacklisting the IRGC, saying, “A regime that can only hold onto power through sheer violence and terror against its own population, its days are numbered." Italy announced on Monday it would support the blacklisting, leaving Spain and France the last two large countries within the EU bloc to remain undecided.
The EU has repeatedly condemned human rights violations in Iran. Sanctions against Iranian individuals and entities for human rights abuses have increased since the killing of Mahsa Amini in September 2022. Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the EU adopted sanctions against Iranian individuals and entities for assisting Moscow militarily. In parallel, European Union member states have adopted US sanctions against Iran's nuclear capabilities. Among the Iranian individuals sanctioned are IRGC senior officials Mohammed Ansari and Reza Hamidiravari. In all, some 230 Iranian individuals and 40 companies are already sanctioned.
This developing story has been updated since initial publication.
