Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf said on Sunday that the Islamic Republic of Iran now considers all European Union armies to be terrorist organizations, in response to the EU’s decision to designate the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a terrorist group for its bloody crackdown on mass protests across the country.
Qalibaf, the former commander of the Revolutionary Guard, emphasized that this is a reciprocal measure, although it is expected to have a mostly symbolic character.
In such situations, Iran refers to the law from 2019, which enables the declaration of foreign armies as terrorist organizations. That law was passed after the United States declared the Revolutionary Guard a terrorist organization in the same year.
Growing tensions and military maneuvers in the Strait of Hormuz
This decision comes at a time of high regional tensions, while US President Donald Trump is considering the possibility of a military strike against Iran.
At the same time, Iran announced military exercises with live ammunition to be held on Sunday and Monday in the strategically extremely important Strait of Hormuz, through which about one fifth of the world’s oil trade passes.
During the parliamentary session, Qalibaf and other deputies wore Revolutionary Guard uniforms as a sign of support for that formation.
The role of the Revolutionary Guard in Iran
The Revolutionary Guards play a key military and political role in Iran. It controls the ballistic missile arsenal, has huge economic interests and answers exclusively to the supreme leader of Iran, Ali Khamenei, who is 86 years old.
“By trying to attack the Revolutionary Guard, which was the biggest obstacle to the spread of terrorism towards Europe, the Europeans actually shot themselves in the foot and, following blind obedience to the Americans, again acted against the interests of their own citizens,” said Qalibaf.
After Qalibaf’s address, members of parliament shouted the slogans “Death to America!” and “Death to Israel!”, which further raised tensions.
Trump’s “red lines” and the nuclear issue
US President Donald Trump previously set two red lines for possible military intervention:
– killing peaceful demonstrators
– mass executions of detainees during the repression of protests
Trump is also increasingly talking about Iran’s nuclear program, which was the subject of negotiations between Washington and Tehran before Israel launched a 12-day war against Iran in June.
During that conflict, the US bombed three Iranian nuclear facilities. Activities on two of them, according to available data, suggest that Iran is trying to hide the condition of the facilities from satellite surveillance and save what is left.
Uncertainty about the American decision
On Saturday night, Trump refused to say whether he had made a final decision on possible new strikes on Iran.
“Some people think Iran would be emboldened if we pull out. Others don’t,” Trump told reporters on a plane en route to Florida.
He added that Iran should agree to a “satisfactory” deal to prevent it from acquiring nuclear weapons, but expressed doubt about the outcome:
“I don’t know if they’re going to do it. But they’re talking to us. They’re talking seriously.”
Signals from Tehran about possible negotiations
Ali Larijani, a senior Iranian security official, wrote late Saturday on the X Network that “structural arrangements for negotiations are progressing.”
However, there is no public evidence of direct talks between Iran and the US, something Supreme Leader Khamenei has repeatedly categorically rejected.
