Western media reports say European Union foreign ministers took a significant step on January 29, agreeing to designate Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a terrorist organization.  

"Repression cannot go unanswered," EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas wrote on social media platform X. "Any regime that kills thousands of its own people is working toward its own demise."

Iran's most powerful armed force, the IRGC was set up shortly after the 1979 revolution to defend the country's Islamic system. It is estimated to have about 190,000 active personnel, with capabilities across land, air and sea, as well as overseeing Iran's strategic weapons.

While some EU member states have long advocated for adding the IRGC to the terrorist list, others have been hesitant, fearing the move could sever communication channels with Tehran and potentially jeopardize the safety of European citizens in Iran. However, a brutal crackdown on nationwide protests earlier this month, which led to the deaths of thousands, reportedly provided the final push for the decision.

France and Italy, who had previously opposed labeling the IRGC as a terrorist entity, lent their support to the move this week.

Despite concerns that this designation might lead to a complete breakdown in diplomatic relations with Iran, Kallas reassured reporters on January 29 that “diplomatic channels will remain open.”

Iran has condemned EU designation of Revolutionary Guards as terrorists. Iran’s foreign ministry called the European Union’s move to designate Iran’s Revolutionary Guards as a terrorist organization “illegal and unjustified”.  In a statement, the ministry said designating a country’s official military institution as a “terrorist” organization is a dangerous move. It added that European concern about human rights in Iran was a “blatant lie and hypocrisy”, according to Iran International.

Iran’s parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf called the Revolutionary Guards among the world’s most effective “counterterrorism forces.”

"The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps is one of the strongest and most effective anti-terrorism forces in the world; only those who stand on the side of the terrorists themselves could deny the IRGC's record in the fight against ISIS terrorism," he said in a post on X.

"Supporting terrorism will bring nothing but regret to the European countries," he added.

The exchange of criticism marks a growing rift between Iran and the West, with the EU’s decision underscoring the increasing tension over human rights abuses, regional security concerns, and Iran’s involvement in the ongoing war in Ukraine.

The EU also sanctioned entities such as the Iranian Audio-Visual Media Regulatory Authority and multiple software companies. Additionally, four individuals and six entities tied to Iran’s drone and missile programs were targeted, with the EU expanding restrictions on the export of technologies used to develop unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and missiles to Iran.