Iran considers the armed forces of European Union countries that have designated the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as a terrorist organization to be terrorist groups themselves, Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said Sunday.
The remarks followed a move by the EU last week to place the Revolutionary Guard on its list of terrorist organizations, a symbolic shift in Europe’s approach toward Iran’s leadership after what was described as the Islamic Republic’s deadliest crackdown on protests since the 1979 revolution.
“By targeting the Revolutionary Guard, the Europeans have effectively shot themselves in the foot and once again acted against the interests of their own people by blindly following the Americans,” Ghalibaf told lawmakers. Members of parliament attended the session wearing Revolutionary Guard uniforms in a show of support for the force.
Ghalibaf cited Article 7 of Iran’s law on countermeasures against the designation of the Revolutionary Guard as a terrorist organization, saying it considers the armed forces of European countries to be terrorist groups.
The Revolutionary Guard was established after the 1979 Islamic Revolution to protect the country’s Shiite clerical system. It wields significant influence in Iran, with extensive control over parts of the economy and major branches of the armed forces.