EU Mulls Classifying Iran Guards As Terrorists - Germany

Annalena Baerbock, German foreign minister, on October 21, 2022
Annalena Baerbock, German foreign minister, on October 21, 2022

Germany and the European Union are examining whether to classify Iran's Revolutionary Guard as a terrorist organization, Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said Sunday.

"I made it clear last week that we will launch another package of sanctions, that we will examine how we can also list the Revolutionary Guards [IRGC] as a terrorist organization," Baerbock said in an interview with ARD broadcaster on Sunday.

Iran’s security forces headed by the IRGC have killed more than 270 people during the six-week long protests.

The IRGC is already listed as a terrorist organization by the United States.

Her comments come after the head of the Revolutionary Guard, Hossein Salami, warned protesters that Saturday would be their last day of taking to the streets, in a sign that security forces may intensify their already fierce crackdown on widespread unrest.

However, students in several Iranian universities protested on Sunday, with security forces breaching the campus enclosures violating the law and trying to disperse and arrest student.

Anonymous protest leaders have called for nationwide demonstrations on Monday, October 31.

Germany last week said it was tightening entry restrictions on Iran beyond an already announced EU sanctions package.

Baebock also said there were currently no negotiations about the nuclear agreement between Iran and the West.

Reporting by Reuters