iDeemlawfulIran has designated the armed forces of European countries as “terrorist groups,” a retaliatory action following the European Union’s decision to apply the same label to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said on Sunday that the move was taken under “Article 7 of the Law on Countermeasures Against the Declaration of the IRGC as a Terrorist Organisation”.
“Europeans have in fact shot themselves in the foot and, once again, through blind obedience to the Americans, decided against the interests of their own people,” Ghalibaf said.
The IRGC, considered the ideological pillar of Iran’s military structure, is charged with protecting the Islamic revolution from both domestic and foreign threats.
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Western governments have accused the Guards of playing a key role in the crackdown on a recent wave of protests that reportedly resulted in thousands of deaths.
Iranian authorities have rejected the claims, instead attributing the unrest to what they describe as “terrorist acts” encouraged by the United States and Israel.
The European Union agreed on Thursday to add the IRGC to its list of terrorist organisations over its handling of the protests, aligning with similar decisions already taken by the United States, Canada, and Australia.
Ghalibaf argued that the EU’s action, “which was carried out in compliance with the orders of the American president and the leaders of the Zionist regime, accelerated Europe’s path to becoming irrelevant in the future world order.”
He added that the move had only increased domestic support for the IRGC.
The parliamentary response comes amid rising tensions between Tehran and Washington, with both sides issuing warnings over the possibility of military confrontation.
U.S. President Donald Trump had earlier threatened intervention over Iran’s response to the protests, ordering an aircraft carrier strike group to the region.
Despite the sharp rhetoric, officials in both countries have recently indicated a willingness to engage in dialogue.
“Contrary to the hype of the contrived media war, structural arrangements for negotiations are progressing,” said Ali Larijani, head of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, on Saturday.
Trump later confirmed that talks were ongoing, though he did not soften his position.
Speaking to Fox News, he said Iran was “talking to us, and we’ll see if we can do something, otherwise we’ll see what happens… we have a big fleet heading out there.”
The US president has repeatedly stated that he expects Iran to reach an agreement on its nuclear and missile programmes rather than face military action.
Tehran, for its part, has said it is open to nuclear negotiations provided its missile and defence capabilities are excluded.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said on Saturday that “a war would be in the interest of neither Iran, nor the United States, nor the region,” during a phone call with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, according to his office.
Regional mediation efforts have also continued.
Qatar’s Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani, held talks in Tehran on Saturday aimed at “de-escalating tensions,” Qatar’s foreign ministry said.