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Iran has declared the armies of European countries “terrorist groups,” the speaker of parliament said Sunday, in response to the European Union’s decision to designate the Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps as a terrorist organization.
At a legislative session broadcast on state television, lawmakers wore green uniforms associated with the Guards in a show of solidarity and chanted “Death to America,” “Death to Israel” and “Shame on you, Europe.”
Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf condemned what he called the EU’s “irresponsible action,” saying that under “Article 7 of the Law on Countermeasures Against the Declaration of the IRGC as a Terrorist Organisation, the armies of European countries are considered terrorist groups.”
It was not immediately clear what practical or legal impact the declaration would have.
The countermeasure law was first passed in 2019, after the United States designated the Guards a terrorist organization.
Sunday’s session coincided with the 47th anniversary of the return from exile of Ruhollah Khomeini, who founded today's Iran following the 1979 revolution.
The Revolutionary Guards serve as the ideological arm of Iran’s military and are tasked with protecting the revolution from internal and external threats.
Western governments have accused the Guards of orchestrating a crackdown on recent protests in Iran that they say left thousands dead. Iranian authorities have blamed the violence on what they describe as “terrorist acts” instigated by the United States and Israel.
The European Union agreed Thursday to list the Guards as a terrorist organization over their role in suppressing the protests. The move aligns with similar designations by the United States, Canada and Australia.
Ghalibaf said the EU decision, “which was carried out in compliance with the orders of the American president and the leaders of the Zionist regime, accelerated Europe’s path to becoming irrelevant in the future world order.” He added that the move had increased domestic support for the Guards.
The parliamentary session came amid heightened tensions between Iran and the United States, marked by exchanges of warnings over possible military action.
In response to Iran’s handling of the protests, U.S. President Donald Trump has threatened intervention and dispatched an aircraft carrier group to the region.
In recent days, however, officials on both sides have said they remain open to dialogue.
“Contrary to the hype of the contrived media war, structural arrangements for negotiations are progressing,” Ali Larijani, head of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, said Saturday.
Trump later confirmed that talks were taking place but did not retract earlier warnings. He told Fox News that Iran was “talking to us, and we’ll see if we can do something; otherwise we’ll see what happens … we have a big fleet heading out there.”
Trump has previously said he believes Iran would choose a deal on its nuclear and missile programs over facing U.S. military action.
Iran has said it is prepared for nuclear talks provided its missile and defense capabilities are excluded from negotiations.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said Saturday that “a war would be in the interest of neither Iran nor the United States, nor the region,” during a phone call with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, according to Pezeshkian’s office.
Qatar’s prime minister and foreign minister, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al, also held talks in Iran on Saturday aimed at “de-escalating tensions,” Qatar’s Foreign Ministry said.
Firouzeh, a 43-year-old homemaker who declined to give her full name, said the recent developments have left her deeply anxious.
“Lately, all I do is watch the news until I fall asleep,” she said. “Sometimes I wake up in the middle of the night to check the updates.”
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