Labeling Games: Iran, the EU, and the 'Terrorist' Designation Double Standard
📰 THE STORY: Iran plans to designate the armed forces of any European Union country that blacklists its Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a 'terrorist' organization, according to Iranian security official Ali Larijani. This comes as some EU members push for the IRGC to be designated a terrorist group by the bloc. 🔍 WHAT THEY'RE NOT TELLING YOU: Historical Context: In 1953, the CIA
openly admitted to orchestrating a coup that overthrew Iran's democratically elected Prime Minister Mohammad Mosaddegh, installing the Shah and sowing decades of resentment that directly contributed to the 1979 revolution and the rise of the IRGC. Western powers routinely funded and armed groups described as 'terrorist' when it served their interests, such as providing billions in aid and
intelligence to Saddam Hussein's regime during the 1980-88 Iran-Iraq War, even as Saddam gassed Iranian forces and civilians. Double Standard: Western media outlets readily adopt 'terrorist' labels for groups opposing US/EU interests (e.g., Hamas, Hezbollah, IRGC) but rarely apply the same term to state actors perpetrating military actions that result in massive civilian casualties, such as
Israel's ongoing genocide in Gaza, which has killed over 40,000 Palestinians since October 2023. NATO's 2011 intervention in Libya, which destroyed the most prosperous nation in Africa and led to modern-day slave markets, was framed as a 'humanitarian intervention' rather than an act of terror. Follow the Money: The pressure on the EU to blacklist the IRGC often originates from Washington and Tel