On Thursday, the EU Parliament voted through a resolution on the EU's response to the protests and executions in Iran.

Among other things, the sanctions list is to be extended to all those responsible for the violations of human rights - including the Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and President Ebrahim Raisi.

It also includes a terrorist labeling of the Revolutionary Guard, which, among others, the United States and Canada have done in the past.

Discussed terrorist classification

As justification, the Revolutionary Guard "carries out terrorist actions, participates in the repression of demonstrators in Iran and conveys drones to Russia."

The vote in the parliament does not mean that the EU automatically adopts the parliament's decision.

But a terrorist classification of the military organization has already been discussed in several of the EU countries and will be taken up when the EU's foreign ministers meet in Brussels next week.

Then the EU must also take a position on possible new sanctions against Iran.

Initiator of the resolution

The Christian Democratic Conservative EPP, which includes the Moderates and the Christian Democrats, is one of the party groups that voted for the resolution.

- I cannot understand why this has not happened before, says David Lega (KD), EPP's Iran negotiator.

The Social Democrats' party group, S&D, also stood behind the proposal.

EU parliamentarian Evin Incir (S), who initiated the resolution in his party group, says that the terror labeling means, among other things, that the parliament can make higher demands on the member states regarding Iran.

- There have been a lot of words from the heads of government in recent months but very little action, says Evin Incir.

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps is an independent branch of Iran's armed forces and is described as having a central role in suppressing protests and organizing international terror.

The group was founded by the regime's first leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini in April 1979, shortly after the Iranian revolution.

Hear EU parliamentarians Evin Incir (S) and David Lega (KD) in the clip above