Iran is preparing "
reciprocal
" measures if the European Union decides to place the Revolutionary Guards on its blacklist, the head of Iranian diplomacy warned on Sunday.
Tehran has been issuing warnings to Europeans since MEPs on Thursday adopted a resolution calling on the EU to include the Revolutionary Guards, the Islamic Republic's ideological army, on
the EU 's list of "
terrorist organisations
". .
Read alsoIran: how the entourage of the Supreme Guide and the Revolutionary Guards took over the state apparatus
The Iranian Parliament is examining the conditions for "
putting entities of the armies of European countries on the terrorist list
" of the country, announced Minister Hossein Amir-Abdolahian on Twitter.
Decision not yet made
The President of Parliament, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, thus affirmed on Sunday that Iran "
would respond immediately and firmly
" if the EU went in this direction, by "
recognizing the armies of European countries (...) as terrorist groups
".
European diplomats have indicated that the decision has not yet been made on the Guardians.
But foreign ministers from the 27 EU countries are expected to agree Monday on new sanctions against 37 Iranian individuals or entities involved in the crackdown on protests.
In their resolution, MEPs question the Guardians for their role in the protest movement sparked by the death on September 16 of Mahsa Amini, but also for "
the supply of drones to Russia
" in the context of the war in Ukraine .
Iranian authorities generally refer to the protests as "
riots
" encouraged by countries and organizations hostile to Iran.
