UPDATE - EU agrees to designate Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps 'terrorist organization'

​​​​​​​ADDS KAJA KALLAS' NEWS CONFERENCE; REVISES LEDE

By Burak Bir

LONDON (AA) - EU member states have reached a political agreement to designate Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a "terrorist organization," the bloc’s foreign policy chief said Thursday.

"Repression cannot go unanswered. EU Foreign Ministers just took the decisive step of designating Iran’s Revolutionary Guard as a terrorist organisation," Kaja Kallas wrote on US social media platform X.

Kallas' remarks came as foreign ministers from EU member states were holding talks in Brussels.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen welcomed the "long overdue" designation.

"Terrorist is indeed how you call a regime that crushes its own people’s protests in blood," she wrote on X, adding that Europe stands with the people of Iran “in their brave fight for freedom."

- 'Region does not need a new war'

Speaking at a news conference following the Foreign Affairs Council meeting, Kallas said the EU already has "sweeping sanctions" in place against Iran.

Indicating that the designation will put the IRGC on the same list with ISIS (Daesh), Hamas, Hezbollah and al-Qaeda, she said, "Those who operate through terror must be treated as terrorists."

Kallas went on to say that the ministers were clear that Iran must release all those "unjustly detained," including the EU nationals.

"We must be ready to further increase pressure on the authorities," she said.

"I think the region does not need a new war," Kallas said in response to a question about whether the decision means the EU would support if the US strikes Iran.

Iran, meanwhile, has accused the EU of "fanning flames" after the designation.

"Europe is instead busy fanning the flames," Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi wrote on X, criticizing the bloc for following Washington’s lead and making a "major strategic mistake" by targeting Iran’s national military force.