(MENAFN) Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz has intensified calls for international allies to designate Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a terrorist organization in the wake of a significant aerial attack on Israeli territory over the weekend. However, the European Union's foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell, has indicated legal obstacles to such a move at present.
The call for action follows Iran's launch of multiple waves of missiles and kamikaze drones at Israel, purportedly in retaliation for an Israeli airstrike that destroyed Iran's consulate in Damascus, Syria, resulting in the deaths of seven IRGC officers, including two generals.
Minister Katz took to social media platform X (formerly Twitter) to announce his efforts, revealing that he had reached out to 32 nations and engaged in discussions with numerous foreign ministers and leaders worldwide. His aim is to garner support for imposing sanctions on Iran's missile program and officially designating the IRGC as a terrorist organization.
According to Katz, such measures are essential to restrain and weaken Iran's aggressive actions, emphasizing the urgency of halting Tehran's activities before they escalate further.
However, in an interview with France's Le Monde, Borrell tempered expectations, stating that while there have been discussions regarding the designation of the Revolutionary Guards as a terrorist organization, it is not a feasible option currently due to legal constraints.
Borrell clarified that, under current circumstances, a judicial authority in a member state must determine that the organization has committed a terrorist act for it to be listed as such. He indicated that there are no grounds to meet this criterion at present, suggesting that legal considerations pose a barrier to immediate action.
The contrasting viewpoints underscore the complexity of the diplomatic landscape surrounding Iran's activities and the challenges in achieving consensus among international actors regarding measures to address perceived threats posed by the IRGC. As tensions persist in the region, the debate over the designation of Iran's elite military unit is likely to continue, with implications for regional stability and global security.
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