EU Moves to List Revolutionary Guard of Iran as Terror Group

The European Union is moving toward its most consequential punitive step yet against Tehran, preparing to designate Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a terrorist organization following a nationwide protest crackdown that activists say has killed thousands. EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas told journalists Thursday it was “likely” the measure would be approved, adding her expection that Foreign Ministers will take “a political decision for the EU” to designate Iran’s Revolutionary Guard as a terrorist organization.

Kallas said the move would align the IRGC with globally designated militant groups, putting them “on the same footing as Al-Qaeda, Hamas, and Daesh”. She said “If you act as a terrorist, you should also be treated as a terrorist.”

Support from Members

Under EU law, such sanctions require unanimity among the bloc’s 27 member states, a threshold that has previously constrained Brussels’ ability to act quickly on major security crises, including Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

The political momentum hardened after France reversed earlier reservations tied to concerns over detained citizens and diplomatic channels. President Emmanuel Macron’s office signaled support on Wednesday, and Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot said before the Foreign Affairs Council that Paris backed the listing “because there can be no impunity for the crimes committed,” adding that “the unbearable repression that has engulfed the peaceful revolt of the Iranian people cannot go unanswered.”

Military Pressure Meets Economic Collapse

The European move unfolds alongside rising U.S.-Iran tensions. Washington has deployed the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln and several guided-missile destroyers to the Middle East, assets capable of launching strikes from the sea. U.S. President Donald Trump has warned of possible military action in response to the killing of peaceful demonstrators and fears of mass executions.

Iran, in turn, has threatened preemptive strikes and broader retaliation across the region, including against American bases and Israel.

Economic stress is compounding Tehran’s isolation. Iran’s rial fell Thursday to a record low of 1.6 million to $1, intensifying pressure on households and businesses already struggling under international sanctions.

Economic hardships are believed to have helped ignite protests that later broadened into a direct challenge to Iran’s clerical leadership before security forces moved decisively to suppress them.

The Revolutionary Guard

Created after Iran’s 1979 Islamic Revolution, the IRGC evolved into a parallel military and economic power structure, later expanding into private enterprise with the backing of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Its all-volunteer Basij force is believed to have played a central role in quelling demonstrations, particularly after authorities cut off global internet access for Iran’s 85 million people beginning Jan. 8. Videos transmitted via Starlink satellite dishes and other channels show men believed to be security personnel shooting and beating protesters.

Death Toll and Strategic Reckoning

The U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency said Wednesday that at least 6,373 people have been killed, including 5,993 protesters, 214 government-affiliated forces, 113 children, and 53 civilians who were not demonstrating. The group also documented more than 42,486 arrests.

Iran’s government, as of Jan. 21, acknowledged just 3,117 deaths, labeling many victims “terrorists,” a gap that seemingly reflects longstanding undercounting during unrest.

Designating the IRGC carries legal and social complications, given that Iranian men at age 18 are required to complete up to two years of military service, with many conscripted into Guard units regardless of personal politics.

Disagreements with the U.S.

Despite moving in parallel with Washington on Iran, Brussels is at pains to frame the decision as part of a broader push for strategic autonomy rather than alignment with U.S. priorities. EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas, speaking at the annual conference of the European Defense Agency a day before, stressed that Europe is no longer “Washington’s primary center of gravity,” calling the shift “structural, not temporary,” and warning that no great power in history “has ever outsourced its survival and survived.”

Citing Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney’s Davos remarks, she argued Europe must now “take down its sign,” adding that the world is edging back toward coercive power politics and that they are now “dangerously close to the third bell” - a signal that the Guard designation reflects Europe’s own security calculus, not automatic deference to the United States.