EU Rebuffs Iran's Retaliatory Move to Label European Armies as 'Terrorist Groups'
BRUSSELS/PARIS, Feb 2 (Reuters) — The European Union issued a sharp rebuke on Friday, dismissing Iran's decision to classify the armies of EU member states as "terrorist groups." This retaliatory move from Tehran follows the EU's landmark decision last week to designate Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a terrorist entity.
"We categorically reject the announcement of the listing of EU armies and the baseless accusation of terrorism," said European Commission spokesperson Anouar El Anouni in a statement. "The armed forces of our member states operate under strict democratic control and international law, in stark contrast to the IRGC's documented activities."
The EU's listing of the IRGC last Thursday marked a significant and symbolic hardening of the bloc's stance toward Tehran. The decision was precipitated by the IRGC's role in what has been described as the Islamic Republic's most severe crackdown on domestic protests since the 1979 revolution. Analysts view the EU's move as largely political, intended to increase pressure, as the IRGC was already under extensive EU sanctions.
Iran's counter-designation, while carrying little legal weight for the EU, signals a further deterioration in relations and risks inflaming an already tense geopolitical climate. Experts note that such reciprocal labeling is rare between states and blocs, underscoring the depth of the current rift.
Reaction & Analysis:
"This is a predictable but dangerous escalation in rhetoric," said Dr. Klaus Vogel, a senior fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations. "While the EU's listing of the IRGC was a clear political signal regarding human rights, Iran's response attempts to create a false moral equivalence between democratic institutions and a force implicated in regional destabilization."
"It's diplomatic theater, but the stage is getting dangerously crowded," commented Fatima Al-Zahra, a geopolitical risk analyst based in Beirut. "For European capitals, this is a symbolic spat. For the region, every such exchange hardens positions and closes potential avenues for de-escalation, particularly regarding the nuclear dossier."
"The EU provoked this needlessly. Listing the IRGC was a feel-good measure for Brussels bureaucrats that achieves nothing but giving Tehran a pretext for this absurd retaliation," argued Markus Bauer, a commentator known for his critical stance on EU foreign policy. "Now we have a farcical situation where allies are being called terrorists. This weakens the actual meaning of terrorism and plays right into the regime's narrative of a hostile West."
"My brother serves in the Bundeswehr. To hear him equated with a terrorist organization by a regime like Iran's is not just wrong; it's a vile insult to every soldier serving under our democratic flag," said Sophie Reinhardt, a university student from Berlin, voicing a sharper, emotional response to the news.
(Reporting by Inti Landauro; Additional reporting and analysis by Reuters bureaus; Editing by Sudip Kar-Gupta)