SULAIMANI, Kurdistan Region — Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said in a parliament meeting on Sunday they will also designate the armies of European countries as “terrorist organizations,” responding to the European Parliament’s call for the designation of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a “terrorist organization.”
Ghalibaf told reporters before the start of the session that “Israel had made a big mistake” by designating the IRGC as a “terrorist organization” and that European countries were making the same mistake.
He added that the IRGC is “fighting terrorism” and millions of Iranians are members of the IRGC and the Basij forces. “Millions of people in the Middle East have deep ties to the Revolutionary Guards. Any decision on the army will mean a decision against millions of people in Iran and the region,” added Ghalibaf.
Despite Iran’s intention for diplomatic talks, Ghalibaf said “we will designate the armies of these countries as terrorist organizations in response to the European Parliament’s decision.”
The IRGC chief Hossein Salami and Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian attended the parliament meeting which discussed how to respond to the European Parliament’s designation of the IRGC as a “terrorist organization.”
The IRGC chief Hossein Salami (L) and Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian (R) attended a parliamentary meeting on January 22, 2023. (AFP)
“We advise the Europeans not to repeat their past mistakes because they will pay the price later,” IRGC chief Hossein Salami warned the European Union on Saturday.
Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian tweeted that the European Parliament had “shot itself in the foot.”
امروز در جلسه غیرعلنی مجلس شورای اسلامی حضور یافتم.نمایندگان در حضور سردار سلامی از تلاش این نهاد حاکمیتی برای حفظ امنیت ملی قدردانی کردند. مجلس در اقدامی متقابل در صدد قرار دادن عناصر ارتش کشورهای اروپا در لیست تروریستی است. پارلمان اروپایی به پای خود شلیک کرد.پاسخ ، متقابل است.
— H.Amirabdollahian امیرعبداللهیان (@Amirabdolahian) January 22, 2023
“In a countermeasure, the parliament is trying to put elements of the army of European countries on the terrorist list,” Abdollahian added.
