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Araghchi accused Europe of “blatant hypocrisy” for taking “zero action in response to Israel’s genocide in Gaza” while rushing to invoke human rights in Iran.
By World Israel News Staff
The European Union on Thursday formally designated Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as a terrorist organization, marking a major policy shift after years of internal debate and signaling a hardened response to Tehran’s violent suppression of nationwide protests.
Announcing the decision, EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said the scale of repression left Europe with no alternative. “Repression cannot go unanswered,” she wrote on X, adding that a regime willing to kill thousands of its own citizens is “working toward its own demise.” The IRGC has played a central role in crushing demonstrations, both directly and through affiliated security forces.
Israel welcomed the move. Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar called the designation “important and historic,” saying it reflected years of Israeli diplomatic efforts, intensified in recent weeks, to push Europe toward action. “The number one factor in spreading terror and undermining regional stability has now been called by its name,” Sa’ar said.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz also praised the decision, declaring that “a regime that can remain in power only through terror has no legitimacy,” and adding that Europe stands with the Iranian people.
Alongside the terror designation, the EU imposed new sanctions on 15 Iranian officials and six organizations over what it described as “serious human rights violations” linked to the crackdown. Those sanctioned include Interior Minister Eskandar Momeni, IRGC commanders, and senior police and law enforcement officials, according to an EU statement.
Tehran responded angrily. Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi accused Europe of stoking conflict rather than preventing it, writing on X that while some countries are trying to avert an all-out regional war, “none of them are European.” Instead, he said, Europe is “fanning the flames” by designating what he called Iran’s national military as a terrorist organization.
In the same post, Araghchi lashed out at Israel and the EU, accusing Europe of “blatant hypocrisy” for taking “zero action in response to Israel’s genocide in Gaza” while rushing to invoke human rights in Iran. He dismissed the EU move as a political stunt by a bloc in “severe decline,” warning that Europe itself would be heavily affected by any regional war, including through surging energy prices.
Several countries are presently attempting to avert the eruption of all-out war in our region. None of them are European.
Europe is instead busy fanning the flames. After pursuing ‘snapback’ at the behest of the U.S., it is now making another major strategic mistake by…
— Seyed Abbas Araghchi (@araghchi) January 29, 2026
Iran’s military leadership echoed the condemnation. In a statement carried by state-run IRNA, the General Staff of the Armed Forces called the EU decision “illogical, irresponsible and spiteful,” accusing European leaders of acting in obedience to U.S. and Israeli policies. It warned that the “hazardous consequences of this hostile and provocative decision will fall directly on the European policymakers.”
The EU decision comes amid grim assessments of the toll of Iran’s crackdown. While Tehran has acknowledged just over 3,000 deaths, independent rights groups and opposition-linked monitors estimate that the true number of fatalities runs into the tens of thousands, alongside mass arrests and widespread injuries.
For Israel, the designation marks a long-sought diplomatic victory and a formal recognition by Europe of the IRGC’s role not only inside Iran but across the region. For Tehran, it represents another escalation with the West, sharpening rhetoric against Israel and Europe alike as tensions continue to rise.
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