"We will respond to any move that imposes sanctions or lists the Revolutionary Guards as a terrorist organization," said this morning (Sunday), the speaker of the Iranian parliament, Mohammad Kalibaf, in a speech he delivered.
"We will treat the European armies in the region as terrorist organizations, taking the necessary measures against them. We are ready to respond, but call on the West not to close the diplomatic window," he added.
This is the first Iranian response to the intention of the EU countries to include the Revolutionary Guards in the list of terrorist organizations.
The wording of a resolution passed last week by an overwhelming majority included the worsening of sanctions against the regime after months in which hundreds of citizens demonstrated.
"The Council and the member states are called upon to add the Revolutionary Guards and its subsidiary forces, including the paramilitary Basij militia and the Quds Force, to the European Union's terrorist list, and to prohibit any economic and financial activity involving businesses and commercial activities related to the Revolutionary Guards," reads the version approved on Thursday.
As you may recall, the demonstrations in the Islamic Republic began on September 16 following the tragic death of Mehsa Amini, who was killed by the modesty guards because she did not cover her upper body with the traditional hijab.
The death of the 22-year-old young woman ignited a wave of protest against the regime that refuses to subside, despite the harsh policies led by the government of President Ibrahim Raisi, known as "the hangman from Tehran", with measures that include mass imprisonment and the execution of demonstrators.
The demonstrations in Iran, photo: AFP
According to the Oslo-based human rights organization Iran Human Rights, the number of people killed since the beginning of the protests is 481 civilians, among them 64 children and 35 women, while 109 detainees are in danger of the death sentence, but the final number is expected to be even higher.
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