Published: 10:44, April 30, 2024
Iran condemns European Parliament's bids to blacklist IRGC
By Xinhua
A man walks outside the European Parliament in Brussels, April 29, 2024. (PHOTO / AP)

TEHRAN - Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Nasser Kanaani on Monday strongly condemned recent bids by the European Parliament to designate Iran's Islamic Revolution Guards Corps a "terrorist organization".

READ MORE: Iran foreign minister slams EU for expanding sanctions on Tehran

He made the remarks at a weekly press conference in the Iranian capital Tehran, denouncing a resolution passed in European Parliament on Thursday to urge the European Union to impose more sanctions on Tehran and blacklist the IRGC in response to Iran's massive retaliatory military operation on April 14 against Israel.

Iran launched large-scale missile and drone strikes on Israel in response to an Israeli attack on April 1 on the consular section of the Iranian embassy in Syria's capital Damascus

Kanaani slammed as "baseless and irresponsible" the issues raised by the European Parliament.

READ MORE: Iran condemns sanctions by US, Britain, Canada

He said the IRGC was an official military force of Iran that played an indispensable role in ensuring national security, protecting national borders, and encountering external aggressions and threats.

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He hailed IRGC's "unique, undeniable and determining" role in fighting terrorist groups in the region, with many of its fighters sacrificing their lives against "Takfiri" and Islamic State "terrorists".

In this Feb 3, 2019 file photo, an Iranian clergyman looks at domestically built surface to surface missiles displayed by the Revolutionary Guard in a military show marking the 40th anniversary of the Islamic Revolution, at Imam Khomeini Grand Mosque in Tehran, Iran. (PHOTO / AP)

Kanaani advised the Europeans to think correctly about the IRGC before making any decision.

Iran launched large-scale missile and drone strikes on Israel in response to an Israeli attack on April 1 on the consular section of the Iranian embassy in Syria's capital Damascus, in which seven Iranians, including two veteran commanders, were killed.