Washington, D.C. – A bipartisan group of lawmakers in the U.S. House of Representatives introduced House Resolution 176, urging the European Union (EU) to formally designate the Iranian regime’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a terrorist organization under Common Position 931. The resolution was led by Rep. Claudia Tenney (R-NY) and co-sponsored by lawmakers from both parties, including Brad Sherman (D-CA), Maria Salazar (R-FL), and Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ).
The IRGC, which was designated a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) by the United States in 2019 and by Canada in 2024, has long been accused of terrorism, human rights abuses, and destabilizing activities in the Middle East and beyond. The resolution highlights the IRGC’s role in violent crackdowns on Iranian protesters, including its Basij paramilitary force’s suppression of the 2022 uprising and its support for proxy militant groups such as Hezbollah, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, the Houthis, and Kata’ib Hezbollah.
Thank you @Bundeskanzler for joining the fight to get the EU to designate the IRGC as a terrorist entity.
The House of Representatives stands with Germany in urging the EU to list the IRGC as a terror organization, as shown by its passage of my Encouraging the EU to Designate…
— Rep. Claudia Tenney (@RepTenney) November 1, 2024
Furthermore, the resolution underscores the IRGC’s involvement in transnational terrorism, including assassination plots in Europe and the United States. It notes that IRGC Quds Force operatives have been implicated in attempted assassinations in the Netherlands, Sweden, Denmark, France, Germany, Bulgaria, and Cyprus. The IRGC’s support for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, including supplying kamikaze drones and plans for a new drone factory in Russia, is also cited as a direct threat to European security.
The European Parliament has repeatedly voted in favor of designating the IRGC as a terrorist organization, most notably in January 2023 with a 598-9 vote. However, the EU has yet to take action, limiting its measures to sanctions on individual IRGC officials rather than the entire organization.
The resolution calls on the Trump administration to prioritize diplomatic efforts to pressure the EU into taking decisive action against the IRGC. Additionally, it references the IRGC’s direct threats against European nations in response to calls for its blacklisting.