German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul (CDU) welcomed the European Union’s decision to classify the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a terrorist organization. “The EU now finally recognises the IRGC as what it really is – a terrorist organization” he said on Thursday. “This decision sends a powerful political signal – one that has long been overdue”.
Wadephul framed the ruling as a clear statement: “We, as the EU, are showing that we see what is happening in Iran”. He urged the EU to stand for humanity and oppose oppression, and called for swift implementation of the listing. The minister described the IRGC and its auxiliary forces as “the executioners of the Iranian regime”. He accused them of exercising “incomparable brutality against their own people” of summarily executing those who dared voice dissent on the streets, and of destabilising the region. “They are behind attempted attacks here in Germany and across Europe” he added, concluding that they “have blood on their hands”.
The minister demanded accountability for those responsible for the brutal suppression of protests. “Those who politically wield justice as a tool of suppression must be held responsible” Wadephul declared. “Hence we have announced individual sanctions against several people who are culpable. Their crimes must not be left unanswered”.
Jürgen Hardt, the EU faction’s spokesperson in the Bundestag (CDU), echoed these sentiments, calling the IRGC the “core of the criminal Mullah regime”. He noted that the long-standing link between the IRGC and the Iranian state has until now prevented Europe from sanctioning it properly. With the listing, “the EU now clearly defines what Iran is under the Mullah regime: a terrorist state”.
Hardt stressed the need to continue supporting Iran’s protest movement: “The Iranian people must pave their own path toward democracy, and they deserve all of our support”. He hailed the decision as a milestone and a triumph for Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Foreign Minister Wadephul.
Agnieszka Brugger, deputy chair of the Green Party’s parliamentary group, described the EU’s action as “long overdue”. She argued that the EU must not merely monitor crises passively, as routine foreign‑office clichés suggest. Both Wadephul and his predecessor, Annalena Baerbock, have worked in Brussels to influence reluctant European partners and to provide the legal framework for the listing in the past legislative period.
Brugger warned, however, that the listing is only the beginning. “We must do everything possible to support the courageous people in Iran” she urged. That includes extending the UN Human Rights Council fact‑finding mission in Geneva, facilitating humanitarian repatriations, and enhancing protection for those within Germany threatened by the regime.
She also called for consistency in confronting oppressive regimes. “Those tackling the terrorist regime in Iran should not lower their stance for domestic political reasons and should not allow Taliban envoys to operate from German consulates, given the Taliban’s own women‑hatred”. Brugger stressed that advocacy for human rights and the fight against systematic oppression of women must remain non‑selective.
The IRGC is a key component of Iran’s armed forces and is widely regarded as the country’s most powerful institution. It was instrumental in suppressing the protests. According to the human‑rights network HRANA, over 6,000 people have died, with more than 17,000 alleged deaths under investigation. Time Magazine estimates that on January 8 and 9 alone, the regime killed 30,000 people.