France backs IRGC terrorist listing ahead of EU sanctions talks

France has abandoned its opposition to classifying Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a terrorist organization, shortly before EU foreign ministers meet to discuss new sanctions on Tehran linked to a crackdown on mass protests in recent weeks.

France’s decision, announced by Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot on Wednesday evening, could lead to an agreement on the designation at the EU foreign ministers meeting in Brussels on Thursday.

France supports the inclusion of the IRGC on the European Union’s list of terrorist organizations, Barrot wrote on X. He cited the “unbearable oppression of the peaceful uprising of the Iranian people,” saying this could not go unanswered.

“Their incredible courage in the face of the violence that has been blindly unleashed upon them must not be in vain,” he added.

The IRGC is accused of playing a key role in the brutal suppression of the demonstrations that have swept the country, which reports suggest killed between 3,000 and 10,000 protesters since late December.

Designating the IRGC as a terrorist organization would be largely symbolic, as the group is already sanctioned by the EU for human rights violations.

The move, which requires unanimity among the bloc’s 27 members, has been discussed for years but has met with resistance from certain states, including France, Spain and Italy.

Italy and Spain have also signalled their approval of the step in recent days.

France previously argued aginst the move, noting that the IRGC is already subject to EU sanctions, but its reluctance has also been linked to the fate of two French citizens stranded in Iran and fears of negative repercussions.

Cécile Kohler and Jacques Paris, both teachers, were detained in Iran in 2022 and sentenced in October to 17 and 20 years in prison on espionage charges.

The couple has since been released from prison but is waiting at the French embassy in Tehran for approval to leave the country.