EU designates Iran's Revolutionary Guards as 'terrorist organization'

EU High Representative and Vice-President for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas talks to journalists as she arrives for a EU Foreign Affairs Council meeting at the EU headquarters in Brussels on January 29, 2026. SIMON WOHLFAHRT / AFP

The European Union agreed Thursday to designate Iran's Revolutionary Guard (IRGC) a "terrorist organization" over a deadly crackdown on mass protests, sending a powerful message of condemnation to Tehran.

"This was long overdue," EU chief Ursula von der Leyen posted online after foreign ministers from the bloc took the decision. "'Terrorist' is indeed how you call a regime that crushes its own people's protests in blood."

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EU set to add Iran's Revolutionary Guard to its terrorist organizations list