The European Union has designated Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps a terrorist organization, putting Tehran’s most powerful military branch on the same footing as the Islamic State and al Qaeda.
The decision on Thursday comes as the EU this week issued a new round of sanctions against more than a dozen top Iranian officials in response to the Islamic republic’s recent crackdown on protesters.
“Our latest EU sanctions are a message to the regime: Iran’s suppression of freedom will not go unanswered,” said Kaja Kallas, the European Commission’s vice president. “Those responsible for the deadly crackdown on protesters, including [Minister of the Interior Eskandar Momeni], face international consequences. We are ready to do more should the situation deteriorate further.”
The restrictive measures include an asset freeze and travel ban to EU countries for the designated Iranian officials and organizations.
The Islamic republic’s defense ministry on Friday called the decision to place the IRGC on the EU’s terrorist list a “spiteful, hasty, and desperate response to its repeated failures to undermine” Iran.
“This action by the EU and its Council of Ministers, which targets Iran’s beloved and powerful IRGC, the largest entity genuinely fighting terrorism and preventing the spread of this ominous phenomenon worldwide, including in Europe, is legally inconsistent with international law,” the defense ministry said, according to the Islamic Republic News Agency.
President Trump has ordered a “massive armada” to the Persian Gulf and Arabian Sea in response to Tehran’s violent suppression of pro-democracy demonstrators in Iran. He said the warships, which include the USS Abraham Lincoln carrier strike group, are there “just in case” the regime continues killing protesters.
• Mike Glenn can be reached at mglenn@washingtontimes.com.
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