European Parliament calls on EU to list Iran’s IRGC as terror group

The European Parliament votes overwhelmingly to call on the European Union to list the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps as a terrorist organization, pointing at deadly violence carried out by the force in recent months against protesters in the Islamic Republic.

The measure was backed by 598 members, while only 9 opposed it.

EU foreign policy is ultimately set by the European Council, made up of the leaders of the 27 EU member states, the Council president, and the EU Commission president.

The vote comes as thousands of Iranians living in Europe demonstrated in Strasbourg calling on the EU to designate the IRGC, which the US added to its list of foreign terrorist organizations in 2019.

The EU has already sanctioned some Iranian entities and officials over the crackdown.

Hailing the vote, Israel’s Foreign Minister Eli Cohen calls it “an important step in the struggle against the Iranian regime.”