Tehran, Iran. Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf said Iran would consider the armies of EU countries as “terrorist groups” after the bloc listed the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as a terrorist organisation.
Qalibaf cites Iranian law in response to EU move
Qalibaf said on Sunday that, under Article 7 of Iran’s law on countermeasures against the designation of the Revolutionary Guards as a terrorist organisation, the armies of European countries that listed the IRGC are considered “terrorist groups.”
He told lawmakers, who were wearing Revolutionary Guards uniforms in support of the force, that Europe had acted against the interests of its people by “blindly obeying the Americans.”
Possible expulsion of EU military attaches under review
Qalibaf said the national security parliamentary commission would deliberate on the expulsion of EU countries’ military attaches and would pursue the issue with the foreign ministry.
EU designates IRGC after protests crackdown
The EU designated the Revolutionary Guards as a terrorist organisation on Thursday, in what was described as a symbolic shift in its approach to Iran’s leadership following what turned out to be the Islamic Republic’s bloodiest crackdown on protests since 1979.
Role of the Revolutionary Guards
Established after Iran’s 1979 Islamic Revolution to protect the Shi’ite clerical ruling system, the Revolutionary Guards hold significant influence in Iran and control parts of the economy and armed forces.
How will Iran’s response affect diplomatic and military relations with EU countries?