Iran Warns Europe against Classifying IRGC as Terrorist Organization

Kanaani speaks during a meeting with Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian and media officials. (Iranian Foreign Ministry)
Kanaani speaks during a meeting with Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian and media officials. (Iranian Foreign Ministry)
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Iran Warns Europe against Classifying IRGC as Terrorist Organization

Kanaani speaks during a meeting with Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian and media officials. (Iranian Foreign Ministry)
Kanaani speaks during a meeting with Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian and media officials. (Iranian Foreign Ministry)

The Iranian Foreign Ministry warned against any European move to classify the Revolutionary Guards on the terrorist list. At the same time, Tehran expressed its determination to move forward in strengthening relations with Russia against what it described as “American unilateralism.”
On Thursday, the European Parliament adopted a resolution demanding the expansion of sanctions on Iran and the classification of the IRGC on the list of terrorist organizations, following an attack launched by Iran with missiles and drones against Israel, in response to the bombing of the Iranian consulate in Damascus.
Among the motives of European legislators is Iran sending drones and missiles to groups described as “Tehran’s proxy” in the region, as well as Russia, which is waging a war with Ukraine.
Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Nasser Kanaani said that discussions raised during the European meeting were “baseless and irresponsible.”
Iranian media quoted Kanaani as saying during the weekly press conference: “The Revolutionary Guard is an official military force that plays an important role in preserving national security, protecting borders, confronting external and cross-border attacks and threats...”
He added that the IRGC assumed “an important role in development, economic prosperity, and public services for the Iranian people.”
Some countries are pressuring the European Union to find a way to classify the Iranian Revolutionary Guard as a terrorist organization.
But officials, led by European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell, say that they have not yet found a legal basis for such a step, nor are they confident that it will gain the support of all European Union members.
European officials are currently studying a court ruling issued in the German city of Dusseldorf related to the activities of the Revolutionary Guard, which paves the way for efforts to include it on the terrorist list. The United States has classified the IRGC as a terrorist organization since April 2019.
In a related matter, Kanaani said that Moscow and Tehran are working on a comprehensive cooperation agreement document in the long term, which “could give impetus to expanding cooperation between the two countries.” He referred to “common positions on regional and international issues,” including confronting “American unilateralism and combating terrorism.”
In December, Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Iranian counterpart, Ebrahim Raisi, signed memorandums of cooperation in Moscow against Western sanctions on the two countries. For three years, the two sides have been studying signing a “20-year comprehensive cooperation agreement” similar to an agreement deal between Tehran and Beijing.



Pro-Palestinian Activists Charged with Damaging Planes at UK Air Base are Held in Custody

An activist from Palestine Action sprays a military aircraft engine with red paint at RAF Brize Norton, to damage it, in Carterton, Britain, June 20, 2025, in this still image obtained from handout video. The group's action was in protest of British military assistance to Israel, claiming that they, "interrupted Britain's direct participation in the commission of genocide and war crimes across the Middle East", stating on their website. Palestine Action/Handout via REUTERS/File photo
An activist from Palestine Action sprays a military aircraft engine with red paint at RAF Brize Norton, to damage it, in Carterton, Britain, June 20, 2025, in this still image obtained from handout video. The group's action was in protest of British military assistance to Israel, claiming that they, "interrupted Britain's direct participation in the commission of genocide and war crimes across the Middle East", stating on their website. Palestine Action/Handout via REUTERS/File photo
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Pro-Palestinian Activists Charged with Damaging Planes at UK Air Base are Held in Custody

An activist from Palestine Action sprays a military aircraft engine with red paint at RAF Brize Norton, to damage it, in Carterton, Britain, June 20, 2025, in this still image obtained from handout video. The group's action was in protest of British military assistance to Israel, claiming that they, "interrupted Britain's direct participation in the commission of genocide and war crimes across the Middle East", stating on their website. Palestine Action/Handout via REUTERS/File photo
An activist from Palestine Action sprays a military aircraft engine with red paint at RAF Brize Norton, to damage it, in Carterton, Britain, June 20, 2025, in this still image obtained from handout video. The group's action was in protest of British military assistance to Israel, claiming that they, "interrupted Britain's direct participation in the commission of genocide and war crimes across the Middle East", stating on their website. Palestine Action/Handout via REUTERS/File photo

Four pro-Palestinian protesters were held in custody Thursday after their first appearance in a London court on charges they damaged two Royal Air Force planes with red paint and crowbars.

The charges come after the group Palestine Action said two of its members entered RAF Brize Norton on June 20 and used electric scooters to approach two Voyager jets used for air-to-air refueling. The protesters used repurposed fire extinguishers to spray paint into the planes’ jet engines and caused further damage with crowbars, according to the group, which released video footage of the incident, The AP news reported.

The four, all between the ages of 22 and 35, are charged with conspiracy to commit criminal damage and conspiracy to enter a prohibited place for purposes prejudicial to the interests of the UK, counterterror police said in a statement. The Crown Prosecution Service will argue that the offenses have a “terrorist connection,” police said.

The group did not enter pleas in Westminster Magistrates’ Court. They were scheduled to appear July 18 at the Central Criminal Court.

Palestine Action has claimed responsibility for a series of incidents targeting Israeli defense contractors in the UK and other sites linked to the war in Gaza.

Following the incident at RAF Brize Norton, the government introduced legislation to ban Palestine Action as a terrorist organization. The measure, being debated in Parliament, would make it a criminal offense to belong to or support the group, with a maximum of 14 years in prison.

Palestine Action said its protests are designed to end international support for Israel’s war in Gaza.

Planes from Brize Norton, 70 miles (112 kilometers) northwest of London, regularly fly to RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus, Britain’s main air base for operations in the Middle East.