Tehran (TDI): Iran summoned all EU ambassadors to protest the bloc’s decision to designate the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a “terrorist” organization.
The move represents one of the starkest diplomatic rifts between Tehran and Europe in years, which started with the EU announcing that it will add Iran’s core armed forces’ branch to its terrorism black list. Prior to the EU, the United States and Canada had made the same designation.
Iran’s Foreign Ministry called the EU decision “illegal, unjustified and irrational,” and said it would consider “countermeasures.” Spokesman Esmail Baghaei said the summons, which began Sunday and continued into Monday, were a “minimal” diplomatic step and hinted that more action is coming.
“A series of actions were reviewed, various options are being prepared and were sent to the related decision-making bodies,” Baghaei said.
“We think that in coming days, a decision will be made about a reciprocal action by the Islamic Republic of Iran toward the illegal, unreasonable and very wrong move by the EU.”
Read More: EU Labels Iran’s Revolutionary Guards as ‘Terrorist Organization’
Iran’s parliament speaker went further, invoking a 2019 law to declare that all EU militaries now qualify as “terrorist groups,” a retaliatory label that Brussels swiftly rejected.
The terror listing, backed by all 27 member states after weeks of debate, aims to hold Iran accountable for what EU leaders describe as “violent repression, mass killings and human rights abuses” against protesters.
Brussels says the designation will freeze any IRGC assets in the EU, ban financial support, and restrict travel for its members.
This diplomatic row comes against the backdrop of broader geopolitical tensions. The United States has positioned naval assets in the Middle East as it weighs how to respond to Tehran’s actions, while regional diplomacy, including efforts by Turkiye, seeks to avert wider conflict.
In the latest series of developments, statements made both by Trump and Iranian officials indicate nuclear talks are possible and likely.
