Thursday, January 29, 2026, marked a decisive moment in European diplomacy, closing the chapter on decades of engagement widely criticized as appeasement toward Tehran.
The European Union announced the designation of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as a terrorist organization, a move communicated by the EU’s foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas. The decision represents a fundamental shift in Europe’s assessment of the Iranian regime and strikes at the very core of its power structure.
The designation is widely seen as a recognition that the IRGC is not a peripheral institution, but rather the backbone of Iran’s system of repression at home and military intervention abroad. For years, European governments attempted to separate domestic human rights abuses from regional destabilization, an approach that critics argued ignored the integrated nature of the regime’s machinery. The new policy reflects growing acknowledgment that internal repression and external aggression are two sides of the same strategy.
The accompanying sanctions further underscore this shift. By targeting senior judicial, security, and military officials, as well as cyber entities involved in surveillance and repression, Europe has signaled that accountability will now be personal and specific. The message is that those responsible for violence, intimidation, and suppression are no longer shielded by diplomatic ambiguity.
Reacting to the decision, Maryam Rajavi, President-elect of the Iranian Resistance, described the move as an overdue response to the killing and persecution of protesters and dissidents. She framed the designation as international recognition of a long-standing reality: that the IRGC functions as the regime’s primary instrument of control, both on Iran’s streets and beyond its borders.
Rajavi emphasized that change in Iran must come from within, driven by the Iranian people themselves rather than foreign military intervention. She argued that the listing strengthens the legitimacy of domestic resistance, particularly among young activists confronting repression, while rejecting any return to past forms of dictatorship, whether religious or monarchical.
At the same time, the decision has reignited debate over next steps. Critics of past European policy argue that the designation must be followed by concrete measures, including stricter enforcement of sanctions, curbing financial networks linked to the IRGC, and reassessing the role of Iranian diplomatic missions accused of serving as operational hubs for intelligence and influence activities.
By formally designating the IRGC as a terrorist organization, Europe has not merely added another name to a sanctions list. It has acknowledged that the core of the Iranian regime’s power structure is inseparable from violence and repression. Whether this shift translates into sustained pressure and meaningful change now depends on how firmly the European Union follows through on the logic of its own decision.
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