TEHRAN: Iran’s parliament speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf announced on Sunday that Tehran now considers the armies of European Union member states “terrorist groups” in response to the bloc’s decision to designate the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a terrorist organisation.

The EU move, made last Thursday, marked a significant shift in its stance toward Iran’s leadership after the Islamic Republic’s harshest protest crackdown since 1979. In a show of defiance, Qalibaf addressed lawmakers dressed in IRGC uniforms, accusing Europe of “blindly obeying the Americans” and acting against its own interests.

“By trying to hit the Revolutionary Guards, the Europeans actually shot themselves in the foot,” Qalibaf said. He cited Article 7 of Iran’s countermeasure law, which stipulates that any country designating the IRGC as a terrorist organisation will see its armies treated the same way by Tehran.

Qalibaf added that the parliamentary national security commission will discuss expelling EU military attaches and coordinate with the foreign ministry on further steps.

The IRGC, created after Iran’s 1979 Islamic Revolution to safeguard the clerical system, wields vast influence across the country’s economy and armed forces. Its designation by the EU has deepened tensions between Tehran and European capitals, raising the prospect of further diplomatic fallout.