No 10 welcomes EU plan to label Iran’s IRGC terrorists – but won’t say if UK will do the same
Downing Street has welcomed new EU sanctions on Iran, which include plans to label the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a terrorist organisation, despite the UK not moving to ban the group.
EU foreign ministers met in Brussels on Thursday to further respond to Iran’s brutal crackdown on protesters in recent weeks.
The bloc has adopted new sanctions targeting individuals and organizations involved in the violent repression and is now preparing to include the IRGC, the military group loyal to the Iranian regime, on its list of terrorist organizations.
“This will put them in the same league as Al Qaeda, Hamas and ISIS,” said Kaja Kallas, the EU’s foreign policy chief. “If you act like a terrorist, you should be treated like a terrorist too.”
Although the decision must be voted on unanimously by the bloc’s 27 members, it is likely to be approved later with the participation of France, Italy and Germany.
The move puts pressure on Sir Keir Starmer to follow suit. Asked on Thursday about Kallas’ comments on the ban and additional sanctions, a Downing Street spokesman said: “We welcome today’s announcement from the EU, which will hold the Iranian authorities further accountable for the violence and brutality shown against peaceful protesters.”
Asked why the UK did not plan to impose a similar ban, they said: “It has been a long-standing practice under successive governments that we do not speculate on individual enforcement targets or prescribe matters.”
They added: “Under this government, you’ve seen 220 sanctions imposed against individuals in the Iranian regime. We’ve been clear about our intention to impose more sanctions.”
In 2023, Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper, then shadow home secretary, announced a Labor Party policy that would ban the IRGC, amid mounting criticism of the then Conservative government’s refusal to do so.
But earlier this month Labor MPs hit out at Sir Keir’s government for its apparent refusal to ban the group; Trade Minister Peter Kyle insisted that Britain “already uses sanctions against Iran to the fullest extent we can” and that it will not ban the Revolutionary Guard.
After imposing further sanctions, the EU is preparing to include the Revolutionary Guard in its list of terrorist organizations; This marks a symbolic shift in Europe’s approach to Iran’s leadership.
“If you act like a terrorist, you should be treated like a terrorist too,” Kaja Kallas said in widely reported comments to reporters ahead of the meeting in Brussels. he said.
Anti-government protests that have gripped Iran since December have triggered a bloody crackdown by authorities and drawn international condemnation.
Earlier this week, activists reported that at least 6,159 people had been killed in the crackdown, and many were feared still dead.
Tensions between Tehran and the US continued to rise this week after Donald Trump said he had a “massive navy” heading towards Iran and was ready to “carry out his mission with speed and force if necessary”.
Ali Shamkhani, the Ayatollah’s political advisor, said any military action by the United States would be considered a “prelude to war” and would lead to “immediate, all-out and unprecedented” action against the United States and Israel.
US sources told Reuters that Trump was considering options, including targeted attacks on security forces and leaders, to inspire new protests and create the conditions for “regime change”.
