EU Parliament chief welcomes designation of IRGC as terrorist group

Prominent Iranian dissident Hamed Esmaeilion welcomed the European Union’s decision to designate Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as a terrorist organisation, calling the move long overdue and accusing the force of systematic violence.

Esmaeilion lost his wife and daughter in 2020 when the IRGC shot down Ukrainian passenger plane PS752.

“The killers of the Revolutionary Guard have finally been placed in the European Union where they belong,” he posted on X.

Esmailion described the IRGC as an organisation that “has nothing but cruelty and killing in its repertoire,” echoing long-standing accusations by victims’ families and opposition figures that the Guard lies at the heart of repression inside Iran and violent operations beyond its borders.

US Senator Lindsey Graham said on Thursday protesters in Iran are seeking an end to the Islamic Republic rather than a renewed nuclear agreement, as he voiced support for ongoing demonstrations.

"The Iranian religious Nazi murderous regime and a fair nuclear deal do not go in the same sentence. The protestors who have been dying by the thousands are not seeking a fair nuclear deal for the ayatollah," Graham posted on X.

"They are seeking to end the ayatollah’s repressive regime so they can have a life with freedom and without fear," he added. "Keep protesting. Help is on the way."

Iran’s parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf criticized the European Union for deciding to designate the IRGC as a terrorist organization, calling the Revolutionary Guards among the world’s most effective “counterterrorism forces.”

"The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps is one of the strongest and most effective anti-terrorism forces in the world; only those who stand on the side of the terrorists themselves could deny the IRGC's record in the fight against ISIS terrorism," he said in a post on X.

"Supporting terrorism will bring nothing but regret to the European countries," he added.

US Senator Lindsey Graham on Thursday said protesters in Iran are seeking an end to the Islamic Republic rather than a renewed nuclear agreement, as he voiced support for ongoing demonstrations.

"The Iranian religious Nazi murderous regime and a fair nuclear deal do not go in the same sentence. The protestors who have been dying by the thousands are not seeking a fair nuclear deal for the ayatollah," Graham posted on X.

"They are seeking to end the ayatollah’s repressive regime so they can have a life with freedom and without fear," he added. "Keep protesting. Help is on the way."

US Senator Lindsey Graham said protesters in Iran are seeking an end to the Islamic Republic rather than a renewed nuclear agreement, as he voiced support for ongoing demonstrations.

"The Iranian religious Nazi murderous regime and a fair nuclear deal do not go in the same sentence. The protestors who have been dying by the thousands are not seeking a fair nuclear deal for the ayatollah," Graham posted on X on Thursday.

"They are seeking to end the ayatollah’s repressive regime so they can have a life with freedom and without fear," he added. "Keep protesting, help is on the way."