The foreign minister announced an apparent shift in France’s stance, saying Iran’s crackdown on protests “cannot go unanswered”.

France expresses support for EU push to designate Iran Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has been designated a “terrorist organization”, reversing previous opposition to the move.

In a statement shared on social media on Wednesday, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrow appeared to link the planned designation to Iranian authorities’ recent crackdown on anti-government protests across the country.

“The intolerable suppression of the peaceful uprising of the Iranian people cannot go unanswered. Their extraordinary courage in the face of violence cannot go in vain.” Barrot wrote on X.

“Together with our European partners we will take action tomorrow in Brussels against those responsible for these atrocities. They will be banned from European territory and their assets will be frozen,” he said.

“France will support the inclusion of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps on the list of European terrorist organizations.”

EU foreign ministers meet in Brussels on Thursday and are expected to sign off on new sanctions targeting the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

The Italian-led initiative is likely to gain political approval but will require unanimous consent from the EU’s 27 member states.

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps was established after Iran’s Islamic Revolution in 1979 and is a branch of the country’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. Military that Respond directly to the Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

It oversees Iran’s missile and nuclear programs and plays a central role in Iran’s defense, its external actions and influence in the wider region.

While some EU member states have previously pushed for the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps to be included on the bloc’s “terrorist” list, others, led by France, have been more cautious.

They fear the move could lead to a complete severing of ties with Iran, affect diplomatic missions and undermine negotiations to free European citizens held in Iranian prisons.

Paris is particularly worried two citizens After being released from prison last year, he is currently living in the embassy in Tehran.

The European Union’s push to sanction Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps comes amid global criticism of the crackdown amid a wave of demonstrations in Iran last month amid soaring inflation and an economic crisis.

The US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) said at least 6,221 deaths, including at least 5,858 protesters, had been confirmed in connection with the weeks-long protest movement, while 12,904 others were under investigation.

The Iranian government has The death toll is 3,117It said 2,427 of them were civilians and members of the country’s security forces, and labeled the rest “terrorists.”

Al Jazeera could not independently verify the figures.

Protests also triggered new tensions Tensions are high between Iran and the United States, with U.S. President Donald Trump repeatedly threatening an attack on the country in recent weeks.

Trump designated the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as a “terrorist” organization in 2019 during his first term.

Canada and Australia Did the same thing in 2024 and last November respectively.

Iran has warned of “devastating consequences” if the EU goes ahead with plans to list the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, summoning the Italian ambassador over the action spearheaded by Rome.