EU stops short of adding Iran's Revolutionary Guards to terrorist list

The European Union is expected to sanction around 20 Iranian individuals and entities under its human rights rules this week, but is unlikely to add the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) to its terrorist list due to opposition from France, officials have said.

European Union foreign ministers will discuss the situation in Iran when they meet in Brussels on January 29 and are expected to approve the new sanctions, Caliber.Az reports via foreign media.

The measures are expected to include export restrictions on components that Iran could use in drone and missile production, aligning EU policy with restrictions already imposed on Russia. Some Iranian individuals and entities will also be sanctioned for providing support to Russia, the officials said.

IRGC, established after Iran's 1979 Islamic Revolution to protect the Shi’ite clerical ruling system, wields significant influence in the country. It controls large parts of the economy and armed forces, and oversees Iran’s ballistic missile and nuclear programmes.

While some EU member states have previously called for the IRGC to be added to the EU’s terrorist list, others have been cautious, fearing it could cause a complete break in ties with Iran.

The wave of anti-government protests in Iran since December and the authorities’ violent response, which has been described as the bloodiest crackdown since the 1979 revolution, has reignited the debate ahead of the EU ministers’ meeting.

Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said on January 26 that he will call for placing the IRGC on the EU's terrorist list, signalling a shift in Rome’s position and leaving Paris as the one major holdout.

As a result, while some of the individuals expected to be sanctioned will include members of the IRGC, adding the group as a whole to the bloc's terrorist list looks unlikely for now, as that would require unanimity.

"France has made it clear that they do not believe it would be useful to list the IRGC for now and want to keep communications open," said one European diplomat, adding that Paris was also worried it could harm efforts to bring back two of its citizens currently living at the embassy in Tehran after being released from prison last year.

By Aghakazim Guliyev