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3. EU Adopts Terrorist Designation for IRGC, Approves New Iran Sanctions

European Union foreign ministers agreed to include the Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps on the bloc's list of terrorist organizations on Thursday, putting the IRGC in a category similar to that of Islamic State and al Qaeda and marking a symbolic shift in Europe's approach to Iran's leadership.

"If you act as a terrorist, you should also be treated as terrorists," the EU's foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said.

Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi responded to the developments on X, stating that Europe “it is now making another major strategic mistake” and “is certain to be massively impacted by an all-out war in our region—including the knock-on effects of surging energy prices.”

The ministers also adopted new sanctions on Iran on Thursday targeting Iranian officials and entities involved in a violent crackdown on protesters and in the country's support to Russia.

The sanctions were imposed on Iran's interior minister, prosecutor general and regional Revolutionary Guard commanders. The 27-nation bloc in total added 15 officials and six entities to its asset freeze and visa ban blacklist, according to the EU's official journal.

Kallas, the former Estonian prime minister who now serves as the EU's High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, said the measure would put the IRGC "on the same footing" with terror groups such as Al-Qaeda, Hamas and the so-called "Islamic State."

Some EU members, led by France, have long been reluctant to add the IRGC to that list, but Paris said on Wednesday it would support the move, paving the way for an approval, even though such a decision needs unanimity among the bloc's 27 members.

Israel’s Foreign Minister Gideon Saar praised the EU’s designation of the IRGC as a terrorist organization, commenting that "the number one actor in spreading terror and undermining regional stability has now been called by its name" in a post on X.