Iran FM: EU’s blacklisting of IRGC a ‘major strategic mistake’
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has sharply criticized the EU after it designated the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) as a “terrorist organization,” saying the move is a strategic mistake that harms Europe’s own interests.
“Several countries are presently attempting to avert the eruption of all-out war in our region. None of them are European,” he said in a statement on Thursday.
“Europe is instead busy fanning the flames. After pursuing 'snapback' at the behest of the US, it is now making another major strategic mistake by designating our National Military as a supposed ‘terrorist organization’,” he added.
The term “snapback” refers to a mechanism in the 2015 Iran nuclear agreement that allows any participant to trigger the automatic reinstatement of UN sanctions that had been lifted under the deal if a party is judged to be in significant non‑performance of its commitments.
In August 2025, the three European powers known as the E3 — France, Germany and the United Kingdom — formally triggered the mechanism after accusing Iran of significant non‑performance of its commitments.
Tehran rejected the move "null and void", saying the E3 had forfeited their status as fully compliant participants in the 2015 nuclear deal by failing to uphold their own commitments — including preserving the economic benefits Iran was promised after the US withdrawal and by aligning too closely with Washington.
In his Thursday statement, Araghchi hit out at Europe for “blatant hypocrisy of its selective outrage—taking zero action in response to Israel's Genocide in Gaza and yet rushing to ‘defend human rights’ in Iran,” stating that the EU’s move is mainly a public relations stunt to mask “that it is an actor in severe decline.”
He warned that Europe would be heavily affected by an all-out war in the region, including “the knock-on effects of surging energy prices,” and said “the EU's current posture is deeply damaging to its own interests.”
“Europeans deserve better than what their governments have to offer,” Araghchi said.
The EU decision follows a meeting of European foreign ministers and is expected to further strain relations between Tehran and European capitals.
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