Iran has declared the naval and air forces of all European Union member states as “terrorist organizations” following the bloc’s move to add the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) to its terrorist list.
In a statement on Saturday, Iran’s Foreign Ministry said the “reciprocal” move comes following the EU member states’ “unlawful and unjustified” decision to label a part of the Islamic Republic’s Armed Forces.
It added that the EU member states have designated the IRGC, which is recognized as one of the pillars of Iran’s Armed Forces, as a terrorist organization, contrary to the fundamental principles and rules of the United Nations Charter and international law.
The statement emphasized that, based on the principle of reciprocal action and a parliamentary law, the Iranian government is compelled to respond with proportional legal measures.
The ministry was referring to Article VII of a law passed by the Iranian Parliament in April 2019 regarding reciprocal actions in response to the US designation of the IRGC.
According to the article, all countries that in any way follow or support the decision of the United States to designate the IRGC s as a terrorist organization shall be subject to reciprocal action.
The European Union added the IRGC to its terrorist list in response to Iran's measures against foreign-backed rioters who violently wreaked havoc across the country on the invitation of a monarchist and the public incitement of US and Israeli leaders in late December and early January.
Foreign-backed armed rioters and terrorists hijacked peaceful, sporadic protests over economic grievances on January 8 and 9 and turned them into scenes of murder, torching of mosques, clinics, ambulances, commuter buses and destroying public and private property.
Iranian authorities have confirmed that US and Israeli spy agencies were directly involved, providing funding, training, and media support to rioters and armed terrorists acting on the streets.
On Thursday, the EU Foreign Affairs Council formally added the IRGC to the bloc’s terrorist list following a political agreement reached by the council on January 29.
The IRGC will also be subject to restrictive measures under the EU counterterrorism sanctions regime. This includes the freezing of its funds and other financial assets or economic resources in EU member states, and the prohibition for EU operators to make funds and economic resources available to the group.
There are now 13 persons and 23 groups and entities subject to the restrictive measures under the so-called EU terrorist list......more below
https://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2026/02/21/764496/Iran-EU-Navy-Air-Forces-Terrorist
Volker Turk has warned that efforts to advance reparatory justice are facing resistance in “certain quarters,” and urged countries to back Africa’s push.
Reparatory justice for historical crimes, including colonialism, enslavement, and the trade in enslaved Africans, is crucial to dismantling systemic racism, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk has said.
Speaking at the UN Permanent Forum on People of African Descent on Tuesday, Turk linked present-day discrimination against people from the continent to the enduring legacy of colonialism and enslavement.
”Racism and dehumanizing rhetoric continue to permeate public institutions, communities, and online platforms,” he said, according to the UN Press Service. Turk noted that “digital technologies, including AI, are reproducing and amplifying existing biases against people of African descent.”
The remarks come weeks after the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution declaring the transatlantic slave trade “the gravest...
The US VP had to defend President Trump’s Gaza policy at a rally on a Georgia college campus.
US Vice President J.D. Vance was forced to defend Washington’s policy in Gaza after he was booed and heckled at a key MAGA event on Wednesday.
Co-founded by the late Charlie Kirk, Turning Point USA (TPUSA) is a conservative student group that has long been seen as a strong support base of President Donald Trump’s MAGA movement but is now showing apparent cracks.
Less than 15 minutes into a TPUSA event at the University of Georgia on Wednesday, Vance was interrupted by hecklers over US policy in Gaza, with one audience member shouting, “Jesus Christ does not support genocide!” As he attempted to respond, others shouted, “You’re killing children!” and “You’re bombing children!”
Vance replied by referring to Trump’s achievements as president, including securing a fragile ceasefire in Gaza, something he said the previous administration of Joe Biden failed to do.
“I ...
Sergey Shoigu has cautioned Finland and the Baltic states against allowing Kiev to use their airspace for attacks on Russia.
Russia would have the right to retaliate if Finland and the Baltic states are deliberately allowing Ukrainian drones to pass through their airspace, Security Council Secretary Sergey Shoigu said on Thursday.
“Recently, there has been an increase in Ukrainian drone strikes against Russia via Finland, Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia,” Shoigu told journalists. “As a result, civilians are suffering and significant damage is being caused to civilian infrastructure.”
Either Western air defenses are proving ineffective, or these four countries “deliberately provide their airspace, thereby becoming open accomplices in aggression against Russia,” he added. In the latter case, Moscow has the right to self-defense in response to an “armed attack” under Article 51 of the UN Charter, the security chief stressed.
In recent weeks, Kiev has intensified drone strikes on ...
