Iranian authorities have added the armed forces of European Union countries to their list of terrorist organizations, in response to a similar measure targeting the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), the elite branch of Iran's military.
According to Report, citing Tasnim News, the announcement was made by the Speaker of Iran"s Islamic Consultative Assembly, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf.
"Under Article 7 of the ‘Law on Countermeasures,' in response to the designation of the IRGC as a terrorist organization, the armies of European countries are considered terrorist groups, and the consequences of this step will fall on the European Union," Ghalibaf said during an open parliamentary session.
The law was adopted on April 28, 2019, as part of Iran's countermeasures following the United States, which first designated the IRGC as a terrorist entity.
Earlier, EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs Kaya Kallas said that EU foreign ministers had "taken a decisive step by designating the IRGC as a terrorist organization." Later, Secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council Ali Larijani stated that Iran would take a corresponding measure against the armed forces of EU member states.