Tehran: Iran’s Foreign Ministry on Saturday slapped “terrorist organization” labels on the naval and air forces of every European Union country in retaliation to the bloc’s designation of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a terror outfit, reports said.
The ministry invoked Article 7 of the 2019 “Law on Reciprocal Action in Response to the US Designation of the IRGC as a Terrorist Organization.” It mandates countermeasures against any nation endorsing Washington’s 2019 blacklist. “The EU’s politically motivated decision violates the UN Charter and international law,” the statement said.
The EU move equates the IRGC with global terror groups like Islamic State and Al-Qaeda. Formed after Iran’s 1979 Islamic Revolution to safeguard the Shi’ite clerical system, the IRGC wields significant influence across Iran’s economy and armed forces and oversees the country’s ballistic missile and nuclear programmes, ANI reported.
Meanwhile, the US, Israel and their allies partners urge Tehran to scrap its uranium enrichment operations, citing intelligence on a possible covert bomb programme.
Talking with reporters on Thursday, the US President ramped up threats, saying: “We’re either going to get a deal, or it’s going to be unfortunate for them… 10-15 days would be enough time.”
At the Board of Peace inaugural, Trump repeated the threats: “Now is the time for Iran to join us on a path that will complete what we’re doing. And if they join us, that’ll be great. If they don’t join us, that’ll be great, too. But it’ll be a very different path. They cannot continue to threaten the stability of the entire region. And they must make a deal. Or if that doesn’t happen, bad things will happen if it doesn’t.”
The US has rushed air and naval forces to West Asia — the biggest buildup since the 2003 Iraq invasion — fortifying bases amid Houthi attacks and IRGC proxy threats, CNN reported.
