# EU's Iran Policy Flip-Flop

> EU lists Iran's Guard Corps as terrorist but meets its leaders months later.
- Title: EU's Iran Policy Flip-Flop · EUobserver | Shortify
- Summary: EU lists Iran's Guard Corps as terrorist but meets its leaders months later. EU's February terrorist listing of Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps and…
- Keywords: iran, islamic revolutionary guard corps, kaja kallas, abbas araghchi, masoud pezeshkian, human rights, sanctions, crimes against humanity, iranian government, politics, world, EU's
- Source: EUobserver — https://euobserver.com/241462/sanctions-in-february-handshakes-in-september-eus-flip-flop-iran-policy-is-putting-lives-at-risk
- Published: 2026-10-07T10:42:00+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: eu, iran, islamic revolutionary guard corps, kaja kallas, abbas araghchi, masoud pezeshkian, human rights, sanctions, crimes against humanity, iranian government, politics, world
## EU's Iran Policy Flip-Flop
The European Union listed Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as a terrorist organisation in February, then met its top diplomats in September.
## EU Diplomats Meet Iranian Leaders
EU chief diplomat Kaja Kallas met Abbas Araghchi, who served in the Guard Corps during the Iran, Iraq war, at the UN General Assembly last month.
## Iranian Mass Killings
Iranian security forces killed protesters on 8 and 9 January, with HRANA verifying more than 7,000 deaths and the UN warning the toll may exceed 20,000.
## UN Concludes Crimes Against Humanity
The UN fact-finding mission concluded the crackdown amounted to crimes against humanity, with 532 executions in the first eight months of this year.
## EU's Sanctions Strategy
The EU listed the Guard Corps as a terrorist organisation in February and sanctioned additional Iranian officials for human rights abuses.
## Inconsistent Policy
EU branding the Guard Corps a terrorist organisation while meeting its leaders contradicts Article 21 of the Treaty on European Union.
## Policy Consequences
EU's February sanctions and September handshakes lower the cost of future mass killings by failing to address the regime's actions.
## Key takeaway

EU's February terrorist listing of Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps and September handshakes with Iranian officials risk lives by failing to address recent mass killings.