EU to list Iran’s Revolutionary Guard as terrorist group, says top diplomat

BRUSSELS — The European Union is poised to list the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps as a terrorist organization following a brutal crackdown against protesters that has claimed thousands of lives in recent weeks, top diplomat Kaja Kallas told reporters on Thursday.

“I also expect that we agree on listing the Iran Revolutionary Guard on the terrorist list,” Kallas said on her way into a meeting of foreign ministers in Brussels. “This will put them on the same footing with al Qaeda, Hamas, Daesh. If you act as a terrorist, you should also be treated as a terrorist.”

Kallas added that the move, which will require unanimous support from the EU’s 27 member countries, came in response to reports of brutal repression against protesters who took to the streets in dozens of Iranian cities to voice dissatisfaction with the clerical regime in Tehran. 

The expected move sends a “clear message that if you are suppressing people, it has a price and you will be sanctioned for this,” added Kallas, who was previously prime minister of Estonia.

If the Revolutionary Guard is listed as a terror group, it will mark a ramping up of the European Union’s pressure against Tehran, coming on top of plans to sanction more than two dozen individuals and entities linked to the repression of protesters or Iran’s support of Moscow in its war against Ukraine.

Designating the Revolutionary Guard, which has tens of thousands of personnel and is a major branch of Iran’s armed forces, also points to a significant shift in European capitals’ positions, as securing unanimous support will require countries such as France and Italy, both previously opposed to the move, to come on board. 

On Wednesday, France dropped its opposition to the terror listing. “The unwavering courage of the Iranians, who have been the target of this violence, cannot happen in vain. This is the reason why we will today take European sanctions against those responsible,” French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot told reporters on Thursday.

Rome also switched camps in the lead-up to the summit, citing the brutality of Iran’s crackdown, and Madrid now also supports the designation, per a statement shared with POLITICO by the Spanish foreign ministry.

Ahead of the foreign ministers’ gathering, Dutch Foreign Minister David van Weel said recent footage emerging from Tehran documenting the brutal crackdown had crossed “a big line” for EU countries. The exact number of those killed in the crackdown is difficult to confirm due to an internet blackout, but estimates start at around 6,000 and could be much higher, he said.

The U.S. designated the Revolutionary Guard as a foreign terrorist organization in 2019 and has repeatedly pressed the EU to follow suit. U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday warned “time is running out” for the regime and that a “massive Armada” was “moving quickly, with great power, enthusiasm, and purpose” toward the country.

Gabriel Gavin, Zoya Sheftalovich and Tim Ross contributed reporting.