The European Union has not yet classified the Iranian Revolutionary Guard as a terrorist organization. This was agreed today in Brussels, where a new package of sanctions against Iran was adopted.
The European Parliament voted last week in favor of the decision to place Iran’s Revolutionary Guards on the terrorist list. More powerful than the military, elite troops in Iran are cracking down on protesters in the country and have already executed large numbers of protesters.
However, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said in a statement to the current media that the labeling of the Revolutionary Guards as a terrorist organization cannot be taken lightly.
Borrell said, “Such a thing cannot be decided without a court order. You can’t say someone is a terrorist just because you don’t like them.” According to Borrell, a court in one of the EU member states must first issue a concrete legal condemnation of the organization before the EU can implement it.
The United States declared the Revolutionary Guards a terrorist organization in 2019 under President Trump.
What is the Iranian Revolutionary Guards and how much influence does the organization have?
In a statement after the meeting in Brussels, Foreign Minister Hoekstra said that the Netherlands would want the Revolutionary Guards to be added to the terrorist list. According to him, a court decision in the Netherlands that would allow the EU to list the organization is unlikely.
“I can’t ask the prosecutor to do that. “Something must have happened in our own region to blame the Revolutionary Guards here,” Hoekstra said.
The minister hopes to find another solution with other member states. Legal advice was sought, according to Hoekstra. “Get something on paper, we have to see what can be done. And do it quickly because time is not on the side of the Iranian people.”
New sanctions
The European Union has imposed new sanctions on Iran’s Minister of Sports and Youth, Hamid Sajjadi, today. The EU suspects it is pressuring Iranian athletes not to talk about anti-government protests in the country. Iranian mountaineer Elnaz Rekabi disappeared for a short time after participating in the Asian Championship held in Seoul, the capital of South Korea, without wearing a headscarf.
Sajjadi will be banned from entering the European Union and all bank balances and assets in Europe will be frozen.
Such sanctions also apply to certain members of the Revolutionary Guard, security police and Iranian tech companies whose products are used to suppress anti-government protests. The EU’s fourth package of sanctions against Iran.
Source: NOS
Karen Clayton is a seasoned journalist and author at The Nation Update, with a focus on world news and current events. She has a background in international relations, which gives her a deep understanding of the political, economic and social factors that shape the global landscape. She writes about a wide range of topics, including conflicts, political upheavals, and economic trends, as well as humanitarian crisis and human rights issues.
