The Speaker of the Iranian Shura Council, Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, announced that the Council is moving towards including European armies on the list of organizations that it considers hostile, in response to what he described as the “wrong decision” issued by the European Parliament against the Iranian Revolutionary Guard.
During the public session of the Council, Ghalibaf strongly denounced the European decision, considering it part of a political context that does not serve the interests of the peoples of Europe, but rather aims, according to him, to please “the American masters.” He added that the Iranian people consider the Revolutionary Guard an integral part of the armed forces, stressing that any political targeting of it is a direct attack on the will of the Iranian people and their national sovereignty.
Ghalibaf stressed that the Shura Council’s response would be proportional to what he described as the European escalatory step, holding the European Parliament responsible for any negative consequences of this decision on relations with Tehran.
On the other hand, European Union foreign policy chief Kaya Kallas had previously stated that the EU foreign ministers had agreed to add the Iranian Revolutionary Guard to the list of terrorist organizations, considering that the decision represents a “decisive step” in confronting the behavior of the Iranian regime. She added in a tweet on the “X” platform that any regime “that kills thousands of its people is moving toward its departure.”
The European decision came after years of hesitation in taking such a step, despite repeated demands from European member states and parliamentarians, and increasing political pressure due to the suppression of protests in Iran, and the role of the regional Revolutionary Guard, in addition to accusations of supporting armed groups and threatening the security and stability of the region.
For his part, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi criticized the decision, describing it as a “major strategic mistake.” “Araqchi” wrote on the “X” platform that many countries are currently seeking to avoid the outbreak of a comprehensive war in the region, while “Europe is busy fueling the conflict,” adding that the European Union, after trying to implement the “snapback” mechanism at the request of the United States, is committing “a new strategic mistake” by classifying what he described as the “Iranian National Army.”
It should be noted that the inclusion of the Revolutionary Guard on this list will lead to the imposition of strict legal and financial restrictions within European Union countries, including freezing any potential assets and prohibiting any direct or indirect dealings with it, in addition to restricting the movement of individuals associated with it and opening the way for broader legal prosecutions.
