European Union designates Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as terrorist organisation

Key facts

• The European Union (EU) foreign ministers agreed to add Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) to the bloc’s terrorist list on 29 January 2026.
• EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas announced the designation on social media platform X.
• The sanctions target the IRGC, Iranian officials, and entities responsible for internet censorship.
• The IRGC is currently led by General Mohammad Pakpour, appointed after his predecessor Hossein Salami was killed in an Israeli strike during the 12-day war in June 2025.
• Protests in Iran began on 28 December 2025 after a sharp fall in the currency value and spread nationwide.
• The US-based Human Rights Activists Network reported nearly 6,000 civilians killed in the crackdown.
• Iran’s foreign minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi criticised the EU move on social media platform X, accusing Europe of fanning the flames of conflict in the Middle East.