Iran summons EU ambassadors to protest Revolutionary Guard being listed
as a terror group
[February 02, 2026]
By JON GAMBRELL and SUZAN FRASER
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Iran said Monday it had summoned all
of the European Union ambassadors in the Islamic Republic to protest the
bloc’s listing of the paramilitary Revolutionary Guard as a terror
group.
The move came as Turkey tried to organize a meeting between the U.S.
special envoy Steve Witkoff and Iranian officials, seeking to jump-start
talks to ease the threat of U.S. military action against the Islamic
Republic, two Turkish officials said.
The American military has moved the USS Abraham Lincoln and several
guided-missile destroyers into the Mideast. It remains unclear whether
President Donald Trump will decide to use force, though regional
countries have engaged in diplomacy in an effort to halt a new Mideast
war breaking out.
“Trump is trying to calibrate a response to Iran’s mass killing of
protesters that punishes Iranian leaders without also embroiling the
United States in a new, open-ended conflict in the region,” the New
York-based Soufan Center think tank said Monday.
“Some Trump aides seek to exploit Tehran’s weakness to secure major
concessions from the regime, but Trump has set conditions for a
diplomatic resolution that Tehran cannot accept.”
EU sanctions draw Iran's anger
The EU agreed to list the Guard as a terror group last week over its
part in the bloody crackdown on nationwide protests in January that
killed thousands and saw tens of thousands detained.
Other countries, including the U.S. and Canada, have previously
designated the Guard as a terrorist organization. While the move is
largely symbolic, it does add to the economic pressure squeezing Iran,
particularly has the Guard has a major influence on the country's
economy.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei told journalists that
the ambassadors had begun to be summoned on Sunday and that process went
into Monday as well.
“A series of actions were reviewed, various options are being prepared
and were sent to the related decision-making bodies,” Baghaei said. "We
think that in coming days, a decision will be made about a reciprocal
action by the Islamic Republic of Iran toward the illegal, unreasonable
and very wrong move by the EU.”
Iran’s parliament speaker said Sunday that the Islamic Republic now
considers all EU militaries to be terrorist groups, citing a 2019 law.
The Guard emerged from Iran’s 1979 Islamic Revolution as a force meant
to protect the Shiite cleric-overseen government and was later enshrined
in its constitution. It operates in parallel with the country’s regular
armed forces and has expanded into private enterprise, allowing it to
thrive.
The Guard’s Basij force likely was key in putting down the
demonstrations, starting in earnest from Jan. 8, when authorities cut
off the internet and international telephone calls for the nation of 85
million people. Videos that have come out of Iran via Starlink satellite
dishes and other means show men likely belonging to its forces shooting
and beating protesters.
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Turkey tries to organize Iran-U.S. talks
In Turkey, officials have been trying to organize talks with Iran
and Witkoff there, two Turkish officials said. They spoke on
condition of anonymity as they were not authorized to brief
journalists. One described the goal as trying to have Witkoff meet
the Iranians by the end of the week, if possible.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and Witkoff met multiple
times last year in negotiations over Iran's nuclear program in Rome
and Oman, but never finalized a deal. On June 13, Israel launched a
series of attacks on Iran that sparked a 12-day war between the
countries, effectively halting those talks. The U.S. during the war
bombed three Iranian nuclear sites.
Baghaei declined to give any specifics about the possibility of
talks in Ankara.
“What is clear is that we are engaged with reviewing either
principles and details related to this diplomatic process,” he said.
“It is natural that regional countries have intensified their
efforts.”
Axios first reported on the possible talks in Turkey.
Guard drill in Strait of Hormuz ‘ongoing’
Baghaei also said a drill by the Guard in the Strait of Hormuz, the
narrow mouth of the Persian Gulf through which a fifth of all oil
traded passes, was “ongoing based on its timetable.” Iran warned
ships last week that a drill would be carried out on Sunday and
Monday, but prior to Baghaei's comments had not acknowledged it
taking place. The U.S. military's Central Command issued a strong
warning to Iran not to harass its warships and aircraft, or impede
commercial vessels moving through the strait.
Satellite photos taken Sunday by Planet Labs PBC and analyzed by The
Associated Press showed small vessels moving at speed in the strait
between Iran's Qeshm and Hengam islands, some distance away from the
corridor commercial vessels take. The Guard relies on a fleet of
small, fast-attack ships in the strait.
Asked about whether Iran could face a war, Baghaei told the public
“don't worry at all.” He declined, however, to discuss whether Trump
set a deadline for Iran to respond to America's demands.
Iran state TV host faces charges for mocking dead
Iran's state-run IRNA news agency reported on Monday that
prosecutors in Tehran filed charges against the head of state
television's Ofogh channel, as well as producers and the host of a
program who mocked those killed in the crackdown.
The program, which aired Saturday, saw the host reference
allegations made abroad about Iran hiding bodies of the dead in
freezers to bring out as victims if the U.S. attacks the country.
The host asked viewers a multiple-choice question about where Iran
would hide the bodies, listing things like ice cream freezers and
supermarket refrigerators.
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Fraser reported from Ankara, Turkey.
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