EU foreign policy chief signals move to proscribe Iran’s IRGC
The European Union is likely to add Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps to its list of terrorist organizations, the bloc’s foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said Thursday, ahead of a meeting of EU foreign ministers.
Speaking before the foreign affairs council, Kallas said the EU was preparing additional sanctions against Iran and expected the designation of the Revolutionary Guard to follow.
“We are putting new sanctions on Iran and I also expect we will list the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as a terrorist list,” she said.
Israel's public broadcaster Kan (Channel 12) reported on Wednesday that President Trump signaled openness to regime change in Iran amid ongoing protests and military buildup in the region.
This follows stalled nuclear talks, recent US strikes on Iranian sites, and Trump's warnings of further action if repression continues. Israel believes Trump may act "decisively against the regime."
“Meanwhile, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will hold a security discussion tomorrow that is supposed to deal with both Gaza and Iran,” the report said.
Mojtaba Khamenei, the 56-year-old son of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, directs a significant overseas real estate network through intermediaries, Bloomberg reported on Wednesday citing a year-long investigation.
No assets appear directly in Mojtaba's name, but he has been actively involved in deals dating to at least 2011, according to Western intelligence assessments, insider accounts, real estate records, and confidential documents reviewed by Bloomberg.
The portfolio includes luxury London properties exceeding $138 million (one bought for $46.5 million in 2014), a villa in an elite Dubai district, and upscale hotels in Frankfurt and Mallorca.
Funding, largely from Iranian oil sales, moved through British, Swiss, Liechtenstein, and UAE banks via shell companies such as Ziba Leisure Ltd., Birch Ventures Ltd., and Emirati entities, as tracked by the report.
Iranian banker Ali Ansari, sanctioned by the UK in October, features as owner or director in many transactions. Ansari denies any connection to Mojtaba and plans to challenge the sanctions, the report said.
The sanctions on Ansari were imposed for allegedly financing Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards and building a European property portfolio worth about €400 million, according to a Financial Times investigation based on corporate filings.
The Financial Times reported that the assets include luxury properties across several European countries, ranging from a golf resort in Mallorca to a ski hotel in Austria.
A young Tehran professional using the pseudonym “Ali” told The Free Press he joined the January 8 anti-government protests after witnessing widespread anger over economic collapse and repression.
Ali and his wife “Roya” fled to a neighboring country last week amid internet blackouts and fear of arrest.
In a conversation with The Free Press, Ali described security forces firing live rounds directly at crowds, including women and children, with the clear intent of “maximum killing” as retribution.
They said government action was aimed to destroy any hope of change among protesters.
Despite the extreme violence, Ali views the protests as a potential turning point and plans to return when safe.
Diana Bahador, a 19-year-old from Gonbad-e Kavus in northern Iran, was shot dead by security forces in Gorgan on January 8 during crackdown on anti-government protests.
Known online as Baby Rider, the young Turkmen woman built over 100,000 Instagram followers with fearless rides on powerful motorbikes—without a headscarf—in a country that bans women from getting motorcycle licenses and forbids removing the hijab.
Friends say she was more than an influencer: her speed, style, and visibility were quiet acts of resistance against strict rules.
“Bereaved families—who are themselves victims of economic hardship—are forced to borrow money just to retrieve and bury their loved ones' bodies,” the US State Department's official X account in Farsi posted on Wednesday.
“The Islamic Republic regime's exploitation of Iranians' grief is detestable and inhumane," the post added. "The Islamic Republic regime treats Iranian citizens with the utmost brutality, forcing families to endure impossible demands in order to reclaim their loved ones' bodies. This savagery knows no bounds.”
