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DUBAI – In a fiery response to the European Union’s decision to label Iran’s Revolutionary Guard as a terrorist organization, the Speaker of Iran’s parliament announced on Sunday that the country now categorizes all European Union military forces as terrorist entities.
Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, once a commander in the Guard, made this statement, which appears largely symbolic. This move mirrors a 2019 Iranian law that reciprocated the U.S. designation of the Guard as a terror group by labeling other countries’ militaries similarly.
The announcement comes amid escalating tensions in the Middle East, with U.S. President Donald Trump contemplating a potential military action against Iran. Meanwhile, Iran has scheduled a live-fire drill in the Strait of Hormuz, a critical channel for global oil trade, on Sunday and Monday.
In a show of solidarity, Qalibaf and several parliament members donned Guard uniforms during the announcement. The Guard, accountable solely to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, not only wields control over Iran’s missile program but also holds substantial economic power within the nation.
Qalibaf criticized the EU’s move, stating, “By targeting the Guard, which has been a major deterrent to terrorism reaching Europe, the Europeans have undermined their own security. Their blind allegiance to American policies has led them to act against their own interests.”
Lawmakers at the session later chanted: “Death to America!” and “Death to Israel!” at the session.
Trump has laid out two red lines for military action: the killing of peaceful protesters or the possible mass execution of those detained in a major crackdown over the demonstrations. He’s increasingly begun discussing Iran’s nuclear program as well, which the U.S. negotiated over with Tehran in multiple sessions before Israel launched a 12-day war with Iran back in June.
The U.S. bombed three Iranian nuclear sites during the war. Activity at two of the sites suggest Iran may be trying to obscure the view of satellites as it tries to salvage what remains there.
Trump on Saturday night declined to say whether he’d made a decision on what he wanted to do regarding Iran.
Speaking to reporters as he flew to Florida, Trump sidestepped a question about whether Tehran would be emboldened if the U.S. backed away from launching strikes on Iran, saying, “Some people think that. Some people don’t.”
Trump said Iran should negotiate a “satisfactory” deal to prevent the Middle Eastern country from getting any nuclear weapons but said, “I don’t know that they will. But they are talking to us. Seriously talking to us.”
Ali Larijani, a top security official in Iran, wrote on X late Saturday that “structural arrangements for negotiations are progressing.” However, there is no public sign of any direct talks with the United States, something Khamenei has repeatedly ruled out.
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Associated Press writer Will Weissert aboard Air Force One contributed to this report.
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