No legal grounds in EU to list IRGC as 'terrorist' entity: German FM

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
21 Feb 10:34
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The German Foreign Minister says German experts have found no legal grounds to justify designating the IRGC as a "terrorist organization".

German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock speaking during a meeting in Berlin, Germany, Nov. 25, 2021 (Reuters)

Germany, on Monday, considered that there is no legal basis for blacklisting Iran's Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC) as a "terrorist" organization.

After meeting with European Union foreign ministers in Brussels, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock indicated that German experts have found no legal grounds to justify such a move against the IRGC.

"As of now, we don't have legal grounds in the EU" to list the IRGC as a "terrorist organization", Baerbock confirmed.

The German Minister's announcement comes a month after the European Parliament’s adopted a resolution calling on the EU to blacklist the IRGC.

Tehran has previously condemned the European Parliament's resolution, with Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian telling 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.

Amir-Abdollahian said the European Parliament's measure against the IRGC is akin to Europe shooting itself in the foot.

In the same context, Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf had underlined that Iran would designate European armies as terrorists in case the EU blacklists the IRGC.

On January 23, Borrell pointed out that placing the IRGC on the "terrorist list" requires a judicial decision in one of the EU member states, saying, "It is something that cannot be decided without a court, a court decision first. You cannot say I consider you a terrorist because I don’t like you."