The diplomatic walls are closing in on Tehran as the Italian foreign minister, Antonio Tajani, recommends that the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) be labeled a proscribed terrorist organization across the European Union. This move, combined with the arrival of the USS Abraham Lincoln in the region, signals a total breakdown in the relationship between Iran and the West. The Iranian government is bracing for a military strike while simultaneously losing its last few diplomatic lifelines in Europe.
Labeling the IRGC as a terrorist group would allow European nations to freeze billions in assets and prosecute any individual or company that does business with them. Since the IRGC controls a vast portion of the Iranian economy, including the energy sector, this move would be as devastating as a physical missile strike. It is a “financial decapitation” that mirrors the military decapitation being planned in Washington.
The Iranian foreign ministry has called these threats a violation of the “principles of the international system.” They warned that if the IRGC is targeted, “insecurity will befall everyone.” This is a not-so-subtle hint that Iran would use its proxy networks to carry out attacks on European soil or target European shipping in the Gulf. The Iranian government is bracing for a fight by threatening to export the “whirlwind” of war to the West.
Despite these threats, the momentum for proscription is growing. The reported death toll of over 5,000 and the “body ransom” scandal have made it politically impossible for European leaders to continue with “business as usual.” The U.S. administration is encouraging this shift, believing that a unified Western front is the only way to force the regime to either surrender its nuclear ambitions or face a total removal from power.
As the carrier strike group moves into range, the IRGC finds itself at the center of the world’s crosshairs. Whether through a missile from the USS Abraham Lincoln or a legal decree from the EU in Brussels, the guards of the revolution are now being treated as the enemies of the international order. The Iranian government is bracing for the end of its global legitimacy.