EU recognises Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as terrorist organisation

The European Union has recognised the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) – an elite branch of Iran's armed forces that exists in parallel with the army – as a terrorist organisation.

EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas stressed that repression cannot go unanswered, so EU foreign ministers have just taken a decisive step and recognised the IRGC as a terrorist organisation.

"Any regime that kills thousands of its own people is working towards its own demise," Kallas wrote on X.

Before a meeting of the EU foreign ministers on Thursday, Kallas told journalists that the decision would place the IRGC on the same level as Al-Qaeda, Hamas and the Islamic State.

The IRGC is a military branch of Iran's executive power and has tens of thousands of personnel. Recognising the IRGC as a terrorist organisation signals a significant shift in the position of European capitals, as unanimity required countries such as France and Italy – which had previously opposed the move – to join it.

The IRGC was created after the 1979 revolution because the new rulers did not trust the army formed under the Shah. It is a key component of Iran's armed forces and reports directly to Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. This elite structure, seen as the main guarantor of the regime's stability, has its own extensive military system, including the al-Quds special unit for operations outside the country.

The US designated the IRGC as a terrorist organisation in 2019 and has repeatedly urged the EU to follow its example.

On Thursday, the EU also approved additional restrictive measures against Iran over the suppression of protests and the continued military support for Russia's war against Ukraine.

In recent weeks, protests have flared up in Iran amid a catastrophic collapse of the national currency, to which the authorities responded with violent crackdowns and repression.

Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump announced that a large US naval flotilla is approaching Iran's shores and urged Tehran to immediately come to the negotiating table to conclude a deal on Iran's nuclear programme.