The European Union has classified Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a terrorist group. The measure was a response to the crackdown on demonstrations in Tehran that killed thousands of protesters in recent weeks. Iran’s Revolutionary Guard is a military and ideological force, separate from the regular army, created to protect the ayatollahs’ regime. It is made up of professional military and volunteer forces who also work to expand the government’s influence inside and outside the country.
The European Union’s decision places the Revolutionary Guard on the same level as jihadist groups such as Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State. In practice, this means that it is treated as a security threat, suffering legal and financial sanctions, such as freezing of assets and accounts in the European Union, travel restrictions for members and criminalization of any aid to the group within the bloc.
The United States has already classified the IRGC as a terrorist organization since 2019. Brazil tends to follow the understanding of the United Nations and does not classify the group as terrorist. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said the decision was a “maneuver” and a “major strategic error.”
