Belgian Government Supports Adding IRGC To EU Terror List

Darya Safai (center) reacts during a plenary session of the Chamber at the Federal Parliament in Brussels in June 2023.
Darya Safai (center) reacts during a plenary session of the Chamber at the Federal Parliament in Brussels in June 2023.

Belgian MP of Iranian descent Darya Safai announced the country’s government supports her proposal to designate Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a terrorist organization within the EU.

Safai revealed that she submitted a resolution more than a year ago, emphasizing her persistent efforts to highlight the IRGC's activities.

"For a long time now, I have been making great efforts to convince everyone, and certainly the Belgian government, that the IRGC is a terrorist organization that belongs on the terror list," Safai wrote on social media platform X.

Belgium’s Foreign Minister, Hadja Lahbib, voiced support for the initiative on Monday. Speaking to journalists in Luxembourg ahead of an EU ministers’ meeting, Lahbib acknowledged that while there is no consensus yet on the legal basis for such a designation, the new sanctions against Iran in response to the country’s recent attack on Israel should include the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

The European Union has decided to enhance sanctions against Iran following Tehran's recent attack on Israel, a decision reached after a meeting of the bloc's foreign ministers. During a press conference in Luxembourg on Monday, 

EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell announced that the new sanctions would target Iran's missile production and expand the list of banned drone-related components. The additional measures aim to augment the existing sanctions, which were initially imposed due to Iran's role in supplying drones to Russia for its military actions in Ukraine.