Iran declares European armies ‘terrorist groups’; Khamenei terms protests a coup attempt

In a tit-for-tat move, Iran has declared European armies as terrorist organisations, after the European Union decided to designate the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a terrorist entity, citing its role in the violent crackdown on nationwide protests in the Islamic Republic. Under "Article 7 of the Law on Countermeasures Against the Declaration of the IRGC as a Terrorist Organisation, the armies of European countries are considered terrorist groups," Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said.

“Europeans have, in fact, shot themselves in the foot and once again, through blind obedience to the Americans, acted against the interests of their own people," Ghalibaf added.

The decision was taken on Sunday during a session held to commomrate 47th anniversary of the return from exile of the late Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, who founded the Islamic Republic in 1979 after the fall of Shah of Iran, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi's regime in the Islamic Revolution.

The IRGC, which is made up of about 125,000-190,000 troops, are considered the ideological arm of Iran's military and is at the forefront of safeguarding the Islamic revolution form External and internal threats.

The guards are under direct control of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and play a central role in Iran's foreign policy in the region with its proxies, such as Hezbollah in Lebanon and Hamas in Palestine.

The European Union accused the IRGC of orchestrating a brutal crackdown on protesters in Iran, killing thousands of people during the recent anti-regime demonstrations.

Meanwhile, Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Sunday said that the recent anti-government protests were an attempt by the United States and Israel to orchestrate “a coup” in Iran.

"They attacked the police, government centres, IRGC centres, banks, and mosques, and burned the Koran. It was like a coup," Khamenei said, adding that "the coup was suppressed".

"Just as the recent sedition was not the first sedition in Tehran, it will not be the last sedition, and such incidents may be repeated in the future," he added.