Several opponents of the move have reportedly made a U-turn on blacklisting the IRGC

EU foreign ministers are set to debate whether to designate Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a terrorist organization. The proposal, long discussed and repeatedly stalled, has gained momentum after several key member states reportedly shifted their positions.

Previously, nations including France, Italy, and Spain expressed firm opposition. They argued that blacklisting the IRGC – an official branch of the Iranian military – would sever critical diplomatic channels with Tehran and potentially provoke retaliatory measures against European interests.

According to diplomatic sources cited by Politico and Euronews on Wednesday, their resistance has now softened. France’s Elysee Palace and the Spanish Foreign Ministry have expressed willingness to support the move, citing Iran’s domestic crackdown on protests and its military support for Russia. Italy also reportedly changed its stance earlier in the week.

Read more

This shift raises the possibility of achieving a unanimous vote, which is required among the 27 member states, at their meeting on Thursday. The foreign ministers are also expected to approve separate sanctions targeting Iranian individuals and entities for alleged human rights abuses.

Western powers accuse the IRGC of committing atrocities during the recent unrest. Iran has accused the US and Israel of fueling the protests, in which it says more than 3,000 people were killed and numerous public and government buildings were destroyed, to justify a military intervention.

If approved, the EU would join only a handful of nations that have formally declared the IRGC to be a terrorist organization, including the US, Israel, Canada, Australia, Saudi Arabia, and Bahrain.

Read more

Washington officially labeled the IRGC as a terrorist organization during President Donald Trump’s first term in 2019. It later used it as justification for the January 2020 drone assassination strike that killed senior commander Qassem Soleimani in Iraq.

Iran has warned that this designation would be met with reciprocal measures. In 2019, Tehran officially labeled the US Central Command (CENTCOM) as a terrorist organization. In early 2023, following a non-binding European Parliament resolution calling for the IRGC’s blacklisting, Iran’s parliament drafted legislation that would designate the armed forces of all EU member states as terrorist organizations.