The European Union is moving closer to designating Iran’s powerful Revolutionary Guard (IRGC) as a terrorist organisation, amid mounting international pressure over Tehran’s violent crackdown on nationwide protests that activists say has killed at least 6,373 people.EU foreign ministers are expected to agree on Thursday to place the IRGC on the bloc’s terror blacklist, a move that would align it with groups such as al-Qaeda and the Islamic State, EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said ahead of a meeting in Brussels.
“If you act as a terrorist, you should also be treated as terrorists,” Kallas told journalists. “This will put them on the same footing with al-Qaida, Hamas, Daesh.”The move comes as Iran faces growing geopolitical pressure, including warnings from US President Donald Trump, who has said military force remains an option following reports of mass executions and the killing of peaceful demonstrators. The US has moved the USS Abraham Lincoln and guided-missile destroyers into the Middle East, while Iran has threatened pre-emptive strikes and retaliation against US bases and Israel, according to AP.The EU’s decision, long under consideration, would add to the economic strain on Iran, whose currency fell to a record low of 1.6 million rials to the dollar on Thursday. Economic hardship initially fuelled the protests before they escalated into a direct challenge to Iran’s clerical leadership. By EU law, sanctions require unanimous backing from all 27 member states. France and Italy, previously seen as reluctant due to concerns over Europeans detained in Iran and the need to keep diplomatic channels open, have now signalled support. “There can be no impunity for the crimes committed,” French foreign minister Jean-Noël Barrot said ahead of the Foreign Affairs Council. “In Iran, the unbearable repression that has engulfed the peaceful revolt of the Iranian people cannot go unanswered.”Barrot also called on Tehran to release detainees, halt executions and lift internet restrictions, AFP reported.Alongside the terror listing, the EU is expected to approve visa bans and asset freezes on 21 Iranian officials and entities, potentially including the interior minister, over what it describes as brutal repression.The IRGC, created after Iran’s 1979 Islamic Revolution to protect the clerical leadership, has evolved into a dominant force across Iran’s military, political and economic landscape. Its volunteer Basij force is believed to have played a key role in suppressing protests, with videos showing armed personnel firing on demonstrators. US-based human rights activists news agency said at least 6,373 people have been killed, including 5,993 protesters and 113 children, with more than 42,450 arrests. Iran’s government has acknowledged over 3,000 deaths, claiming many were security personnel or “terrorists”. Rights groups dispute that account.While the IRGC and its senior commanders are already under EU sanctions, analysts note that formally branding it a terrorist organisation would be a largely symbolic but politically significant escalation, signalling Europe’s strongest condemnation yet of Tehran’s actions. Go to Source