European Union foreign ministers on Thursday agreed in principle to designate Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a terrorist organization, marking a major escalation in the bloc’s response to Tehran’s violent crackdown on protesters and its support for Russia.
EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas announced the decision in a post on X,stressing that “repression cannot go unanswered.” Kallas wrote: “Any regime that kills thousands of its own people is working toward its own demise.”
Repression cannot go unanswered.
EU Foreign Ministers just took the decisive step of designating Iran’s Revolutionary Guard as a terrorist organisation.
Any regime that kills thousands of its own people is working toward its own demise.
— Kaja Kallas (@kajakallas) January 29, 2026
The agreement came alongside the approval of a new sanctions package targeting Iranian individuals and entities involved in the violent suppression of protests and in Iran’s support for Russia. Once completed, the IRGC designation would place the force alongside groups such as Islamic State and al Qaeda on the EU’s terror list, signaling a significant shift in Europe’s approach to Tehran. The formal designation of the IRGC as a terrorist organization will only come after the necessary legal work is completed, a process expected to take several weeks.
I welcome the political agreement on new sanctions against the murderous Iranian regime
And on the designation of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as a terrorist organisation.
This was long overdue.
« Terrorist » is indeed how you call a regime that crushes its own…
— Ursula von der Leyen (@vonderleyen) January 29, 2026
The IRGC, established after Iran’s 1979 Islamic Revolution to protect the Shi’ite clerical ruling system, wields vast influence over Iran’s armed forces and large parts of its economy. It also oversees the country’s ballistic missile and nuclear programs, making the move both symbolic and strategically significant.
Iran’s military swiftly condemned the EU’s decision. The General Staff of the Armed Forces issued a statement responding to the designation of the IRGC, calling the bloc’s actions “illogical, irresponsible and spiteful.” The statement said the move had been carried out “in unconditional obedience to the hegemonic and inhumane policies of the United States and the Zionist [Israeli] regime.”
The breakthrough follows a change in position by several previously hesitant member states. France, which had voiced reservations in the past, announced its support for the measure on Wednesday, clearing the path for approval. Such decisions require unanimity among the bloc’s 27 member states.
