EU Designates Iran’s IRGC as a Terrorist Organization, Triggering Sharp Diplomatic Fallout
The EU has formally designated Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a terrorist organization, marking one of the most consequential escalations in EU–Iran relations in recent years.
The European Union has formally designated Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a terrorist organization, marking one of the most consequential escalations in EU–Iran relations in recent years. The decision was adopted unanimously by the bloc’s 27 foreign ministers and framed by EU officials as a response to Iran’s violent repression of nationwide protests, including the use of lethal force, arbitrary detentions, and prolonged internet shutdowns.
Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi condemned the move, calling it “a major strategic mistake” and accusing Europe of fueling regional instability rather than helping prevent a broader war. Araghchi argued that while multiple countries are actively working to avert a full-scale regional conflict, no European state is among them, and instead the EU is “fanning the flames of crisis.” He also described Europe’s posture as selective and hypocritical, saying the bloc failed to act over Israel’s war in Gaza while claiming to defend human rights in Iran, a stance he characterized as a publicity exercise masking Europe’s declining influence.
Iranian state media echoed the criticism, labeling the EU decision hasty, politically motivated, and inconsistent with the bloc’s own legal standards. Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei warned that branding an official branch of a country’s armed forces as “terrorist” violates fundamental principles of international law and would carry serious political and legal consequences.
On the EU side, Kaja Kallas, the bloc’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, said the decision followed a lengthy internal process in which member states debated their positions. She emphasized that initially Europe lacked full visibility into the scale of the crackdown, but once evidence of “bloody repression” became clear—along with internet blackouts and mass arrests—the EU concluded that a firm response was necessary. In a public message, Kallas stated that “repression cannot go unanswered.”
Alongside the designation, the European Council announced new targeted sanctions against senior Iranian officials, including Interior Minister Eskandar Momeni, Prosecutor General Mohammad Movahedi Azad, and Tehran Revolutionary Court Judge Iman Afshari, citing their roles in the violent suppression of peaceful protests and arbitrary detentions of political activists and human rights defenders.
The EU had abstained from a terrorist designation targeting the IRGC following the 2022 Woman, Life, Freedom movement. The U.S. designated the IRGC a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) in April 2019 as part of the first Trump administration’s so-called “maximum pressure” campaign, which at the time was viewed as a highly unusual and provocative step to label the entirety of a branch of a nation’s armed forces as a terrorist group. Iran maintains forced conscriptions, and many men are automatically assigned - often against their will - to serve within the IRGC. Significant military escalations between the U.S. and Iran have followed the designation, including the assassination of the influential Iranian general Qassem Soleimani in 2020 and the bombing of Iran’s nuclear program in June 2025. The designation also appeared to represent a stumbling block in negotiations aimed at reviving the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) under the Biden administration, with Iran insisting that the designation be removed.
The designation carries potentially far-reaching legal and economic implications. By labeling the IRGC a terrorist organization, EU member states may now pursue asset freezes, seizures, and criminal proceedings against IRGC-linked companies, networks, and individuals within European jurisdictions. Given the IRGC’s deep footprint across Iran’s economy, the move is likely to prompt European banks and firms to sever remaining ties with Iranian businesses, fearing legal exposure from any connection—direct or indirect—to IRGC-affiliated entities.
At the same time, some European officials and analysts caution that the impact could be largely symbolic if enforcement proves uneven. France, which had previously been among the principal holdouts, had earlier described the designation as mostly symbolic, arguing that the IRGC and many of its commanders were already under extensive EU sanctions for human rights abuses, involvement in Iran’s nuclear and missile programs, and military support to Russia in the war against Ukraine. From this perspective, the practical change hinges less on the announcement itself than on how swiftly and uniformly member states translate the designation into domestic law and judicial practice.
Ultimately, the impact of the EU’s decision will depend on coordinated implementation across the bloc—including consistent prosecutions, asset actions, and compliance by financial institutions—as well as on how Iran responds politically and economically. What is already clear is that the move has deepened the rift between Tehran and Brussels, hardening positions at a moment of heightened regional tension and international scrutiny of Iran’s internal repression.