Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian on Sunday threatened that Tehran would retaliate if the EU classifies the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a “terrorist organization,” and that any measure is possible, including withdrawing from the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT).
The NPT is an international treaty that aims to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons and weapons technology, to promote cooperation in the peaceful uses of nuclear energy, and to further the goal of achieving nuclear disarmament. Iran is a signatory of the NPT but has faced criticism and sanctions from the international community over concerns that its nuclear program may be aimed at developing nuclear weapons.
Amir-Abdollahian made the remark in an interview with ICANA, is the official news agency of Iran’s parliamentary body, the Islamic Consultative Assembly, in response to being asked whether Iranian retaliation for the EU blacklisting the IRGC would include withdrawal from the NPT and the expulsion of International Atomic Energy Agency inspectors from the country.
The European Parliament on Thursday approved a resolution calling on the EU to designate the IRGC as a “terrorist group.”
Amir-Abdollahian said the European Parliament’s move was merely a “show” and that his Swedish counterpart Tobias Billstrom, whose country holds the EU’s rotating presidency, and EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell have said the EU has no intention of implementing the resolution.
In another threatened retaliation, Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf on Sunday said Iran would brand European countries’ armies present in the Middle East as “terror groups and organizations” if the EU designates the IRGC a terrorist group, the semi-official Tasnim news agency reported.