European Parliament IRGC decision out of desperation: Raisi

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
19 Jan 2023 22:49
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The General Staff of the Iranian armed forces warn the EU against the consequences of placing the IRGC on the "terror" list.

Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi during a cabinet session on January 19, 2023 (president.ir)

Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi condemned on Thursday the European Parliament's decision to pass a resolution calling on the European Union to classify Iran's Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC) as a "terrorist" organization.

"This move is out of desperation and it comes after their failed attempts on the streets to deal a blow to Iranian people," Raisi said in a cabinet session, referring to the Western-backed riots that Iran recently witnessed

On Wednesday, the European Parliament held a session and voted on this proposal noting that the results are non-binding.

The vote was approved with 598 countries voting in favor, 9 against, and 31 abstentions.

Press TV cited Raisi as saying that Europe thought that it could "stop the Iranian nation" with such measures.

The Iranian President pointed out that the IRGC is an "official force" and part of the Iranian armed forces, warning that "the measure is in contravention of the international law and the UN Charter."

Raisi's remarks come as the European Parliament adopted on Thursday another resolution calling for imposing additional sanctions against Iranian individuals and entities, including the Iranian President, as well as placing the IRGC on the EU terrorist list over alleged human rights violations.

It is noteworthy that Tehran has already warned the EU about blacklisting the IRGC.

Iranian armed forces warn EU against blacklisting IRGC

In the same context, the General Staff of the Iranian armed forces warned the EU against the consequences of placing the IRGC on the "terror" list.

In a statement, the General Staff of the Armed Forces considered that the European Parliament's unwise decision is in contradiction with all international regulations.

"In addition to being unprecedented in international rules and regulations, the recent move by the European Parliament will affect regional and global security, tranquility and peace, and the European Parliament must be careful about its consequences," the statement warned.

The Iranian armed forces highlighted that had it not been for the IRGC’s efforts under the command of Martyr General Qassem Soleimani, European countries could have now been under the control of ISIS.

The statement affirmed that the Iranian armed forces, particularly the IRGC, would never give up on their role in confronting the terrorists nurtured by the US, Britain, and "Israel".

"The hostile governments will understand soon that they have made a mistake in their calculations once again," the statement underlined.

Europe shooting itself in the foot: Amir-Abdollahian to Borrell

Earlier, Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian told EU's Foreign Policy chief Josep Borrell that the IRGC is a sovereign state apparatus and plays an important role in securing Iranian national security, regional security, and fighting terrorism.

"We warn of negative consequences on Europe of such shortsighted behavior, and demand focus on diplomacy," he added.

Elsewhere in his remarks, Amir-Abdollahian tersely stated that the EU Parliament's measure against this Iranian security institution is akin to Europe shooting itself in the foot.

On Wednesday, Iran's Vice Chairman of the Parliament's National Security and Foreign Policy Commission announced that the Commission will hold an extraordinary meeting to examine a number of issues, which includes, and is not limited to, the recent European Parliament decision call on the EU to add the IRGC to its "terror list".