Congresswoman Tenney Introduces Legislation Urging the EU to Designate the IRGC as a Terrorist Organization
Washington, DC – Congresswoman Claudia Tenney (NY-24) today, alongside Congressman Brad Schneider (IL-10) reintroduced the Encouraging the European Union (EU) to DESIGNATE Resolution. This legislation calls for the European Union to designate the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a terrorist organization under the European Union’s Common Position 931.
Additional cosponsors of this resolution include Representatives Brad Sherman (CA-32), Maria Elvira Salazar (FL-17), Dina Titus (NV-1), Mike Lawler (NY-17), Josh Gottheimer (NJ-5), Jim Costa (CA-21), Chris Smith (NJ-04), Tom Kean (FL-35), Rudy Yakym (IN-02), Greg Steube (FL-17), Ted Lieu (CA-36), Jake Auchincloss (MA-04), Deborah Ross (NC-02), and Joe Wilson (SC-02).
This resolution is supported by FDD Action, JINSA, and AJC.
Rep. Tenney has been the leading voice in the effort to convince our allies to stand alongside the United States and designate the IRGC as a terrorist entity. She has led numerous letters to her colleagues in the United Kingdom, EU, India, Australia, and Canada urging them to take action on this initiative. Due to Tenney’s advocacy, Canada joined the United States in designating the IRGC as a terrorist entity in June 2024. In addition, this legislation, which Rep. Tenney originally introduced in the 118th Congress, passed the House of Representatives last Congress by a vote of 411-14.
"To defeat the IRGC, which is responsible for sponsoring terrorist attacks against innocent civilians across the globe, the United States cannot act alone. In 2019, President Trump designated the IRGC as a Foreign Terrorist Organization, symbolizing the United States' dedication to eradicating the world of this terrorist organization and its proxies. Now, it's time for our EU allies to step up and follow suit. The Encouraging the EU to DESIGNATE Resolution urges our allies to join our efforts to combat the IRGC by immediately designating this group as a terrorist organization. This will send a strong message that the West is united against the IRGC's malicious actions and that we will hold them accountable for their vile acts of terrorism," said Congresswoman Tenney.
“The IRGC is the backbone of Iran’s global terror network, arming proxies like Hezbollah and Hamas while aiding Russia’s war against Ukraine. With Tehran more isolated than ever, now is the time to tighten the screws— we must not ease up or give the IRGC room to regroup. The U.S. and Canada have already acted, and I urge our European allies to join us in formally designating the IRGC as a terrorist organization,” said Congressman Schneider.
Key advocacy groups voiced support for this legislation:
"The world is sleepwalking into a nuclear Iran. To prevent this outcome, the United States and our allies must confront Iran with a united front, including credible threats of force, to deter and deny further Iranian nuclear advances and penalize Iranian aggression. Yet on one key matter we remain divided from our European allies. The European Union has still not labelled Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) a terrorist organization—despite it being involved in numerous terrorist attacks and plots on European territory. It is past time for the EU to join the United States in designating the IRGC a Foreign Terrorist Organization,” said Matt Kenney, JINSA Vice President for Government Affairs.
"FDD Action strongly supports this bipartisan resolution encouraging the European Union (EU) to formally designate the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a terrorist organization,” said Nick Stewart, Senior Director of Government Relations at FDD Action. “The IRGC is a key driver of instability and bloodshed in the Middle East, engaging in terrorist activities, human rights abuses, and attacks against American and European interests. Its proliferation of destabilizing missile technologies, its orchestration of assassination plots on Western soil, and its funding of terrorist proxies across the Middle East demand decisive action. Many in Europe have already recognized this threat—now it is time for the European Union to act. We commend Congress for prioritizing this critical issue and urge swift action to align transatlantic security policy with the reality of the IRGC’s global terrorism."
“Since its inception in 1979, the IRGC, Iran’s principal force spreading internal and external terror, has created and funded a multitude of terror groups, including Hezbollah and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, to spread death, destruction, and instability in the EU, Middle East, and beyond. Today, the IRGC, a U.S.-designated terrorist entity, continues to operate in Europe uninhibited, engaging in activities that directly support the regime's illicit proxy networks that fuel instability and export terror. The IRGC is not just a threat to Jewish communities in Europe and worldwide—it is part of the backbone of a global terror network. American Jewish Committee (AJC) thanks Representatives Claudia Tenney and Brad Schneider for leading this effort and urges the swift passage of this important bipartisan resolution,” said Julie Rayman, AJC Managing Director of Policy and Political Affairs.
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