Iran parliament moves to label EU militaries as ‘terrorist groups’

DUBAI – Iran considers as "terrorist groups" the armies of EU countries that listed the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps on the bloc's list of terrorist organisations, the speaker of the Iranian parliament said on Sunday.

The European Union marked a symbolic shift in its approach to Iran's leadership on Thursday by designating the Revolutionary Guards as a terrorist organisation, following what turned out to be the Islamic Republic's bloodiest crackdown of protests since its establishment in 1979.

"By trying to hit the Revolutionary Guards ... the Europeans actually shot themselves in the foot and once again made a decision against the interests of their people by blindly obeying the Americans," the speaker, Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, told his fellow lawmakers, who all wore Revolutionary Guards uniforms in support of the elite force.

"According to Article 7 of the law on countermeasures against the designation of the Revolutionary Guards as a terrorist organisation, the armies of European countries are considered terrorist groups."

Qalibaf said the national security parliamentary commission would deliberate on the expulsion of EU countries' military attaches and follow up on the issue with the foreign ministry.

Lawmakers shouted "Death to America, Shame on you Europe" after the speaker had finished his address.

The Revolutionary Guards issued a statement on Sunday saying that the EU's decision complicated "the path to constructive interaction and cooperation" while strengthening "confrontational approaches."

Set up after Iran's 1979 Islamic Revolution to protect the Shia clerical ruling system, the Revolutionary Guards wield great sway in the country, controlling swathes of the economy and armed forces.

The EU's move comes as the United States builds up its naval presence in the Middle East after President Donald Trump repeatedly threatened Iran if it did not agree to a nuclear deal or failed to stop killing protesters.

Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said on Sunday that if the US attacked Iran it would become a regional conflict, state media reported.