Estonia's Parliament Designates Iran's IRGC a Terrorist Group
Estonia's parliament, the Riigikogu, passed a statement with 80 votes in favor on January 28, 2026, formally defining Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a terrorist organization and urging the European Union to adopt similar measures amid Tehran's violent crackdown on domestic protests.
- —The Estonian parliament (Riigikogu) passed a statement with 80 votes in favor, expressing support for the people of Iran and condemning the Iranian authorities' systematic and extensive human rights violations.
- —The statement calls for democratic countries to increase political and diplomatic pressure on the Iranian regime, including targeted sanctions against its leaders and security forces.
- —Lawmakers also urged the European Union and other democracies to designate the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a terrorist organization, citing its role in supporting terrorism and human rights abuses.
- —The Riigikogu's statement was made in response to ongoing protests in Iran, which began on December 28th of the previous year due to economic and political crises, and have been met with severe repression by the authorities.
- —The parliament emphasized that lasting peace and stability in Iran cannot be achieved without respecting the fundamental rights and freedoms of its people.
Recap
Estonia's designation of the IRGC is a calculated diplomatic escalation, directly connecting Iran's internal repression with its role as a military supplier to Russia. This move aims to build a broader European consensus to isolate Tehran, framing the IRGC not only as an instrument of domestic control but as a key component in an authoritarian axis challenging Western security interests. The action pressures larger EU states to move beyond condemnations to more concrete punitive measures.