Reps Tenney, Sherman Lead Bipartisan Letter Urging EU to Designate IRGC as a Terrorist Organization
Oswego, NY — Congresswoman Claudia Tenney (NY-24) and Rep. Brad Sherman (CA-32) last night led a bipartisan letter urging the European Union to formally designate the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a terrorist organization under EU law. The letter was delivered ahead of a key meeting in Brussels today, where EU officials designated the IRGC as a terrorist organization.
Additional signers of the letter include Representatives Joe Wilson (SC-02), Brad Schneider (IL-10), Mike Lawler (NY-17), Brendan Boyle (PA-02), Chris Smith (NJ-04), Marilyn Strickland (WA-10), Brian Fitzpatrick (PA-01), Deborah Ross (NC-02), María Salazar (FL-27), Jared Moskowitz (FL-23), Marlin Stutzman (IN-03), Jimmy Panetta (CA-19), Mike Carey (OH-15), Josh Gottheimer (NJ-05), Jim Baird (IN-04), Dina Titus (NV-01), Debbie Wasserman Schultz (FL-25), Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick (FL-20), Laura Gillen (NY-04), Ted Lieu (CA-36), Juan Vargas (CA-52), Jake Auchincloss (MA-04), and Dan Goldman (NY-10).
Congresswoman Tenney has worked for more than four years to build international momentum toward IRGC designation, leading bipartisan efforts in Congress and pressing U.S. allies to act. Canada and Australia designated the IRGC following sustained advocacy, and Europe’s move marks a significant milestone in that effort.
Recent developments within the European Union have removed key procedural obstacles to designation, as France, Italy, Spain, and Luxembourg withdrew their prior objections. The IRGC is Iran’s extramilitary force responsible for carrying out foreign terrorist operations, including training, funding, arming, and providing intelligence support to Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Houthis. The organization has been linked to terrorist activity across Europe, including cyber operations, surveillance, assassination plots, and attacks on Jewish targets in multiple EU member states. Courts in Germany have found the IRGC responsible for a synagogue attack, while authorities in France, Denmark, and Sweden have tied the group to additional terror plots and executions of dual nationals.
Inside Iran, the IRGC has played a central role in violently suppressing widespread anti-regime protests, including recent crackdowns that resulted in the deaths of thousands of Iranian civilians. Beyond Europe, the IRGC has also plotted terrorist attacks on U.S. soil, including murder-for-hire schemes targeting former senior U.S. officials. The United States, Canada, and Australia have already designated the IRGC as a terrorist organization, and the European Parliament has repeatedly called for EU-wide designation under Common Position 931. In 2024, the U.S. House of Representatives overwhelmingly passed Congresswoman Tenney’s H.Res. 288 urging the EU to designate the IRGC.
“The IRGC is not a conventional military force. It is the central engine of Iran’s global terror network and a tool of violent repression against its own people,” said Congresswoman Tenney. “With overwhelming evidence of the IRGC’s terrorist activity, including attacks on European soil and plots targeting Americans, it was long past time for the European Union to act. This bipartisan effort builds on years of advocacy to ensure our allies stand with the United States in confronting state-sponsored terror. Europe’s decision to finally designate the IRGC sends a clear message that these crimes will no longer be tolerated.”
“For decades, the IRGC has waged a campaign of terror against its own people and others around the world, including numerous attempted attacks on EU soil,” said Congressman Sherman. “As the Iranian people continue to fight for their freedom, the international community must stand with them by fully and unequivocally sanctioning the IRGC.”
This letter was supported by FDD Action and The American Jewish Committee:
“Representatives Claudia Tenney and Brad Sherman have been steadfast in their continued pressure on Europe to designate the IRGC as a terrorist organization,” said Nick Stewart, Managing Director of Advocacy at FDD Action. “The bipartisan coalition they’ve led over the last several years has played a critical role in building consensus across the Atlantic. Today’s historic move in Brussels to finally designate the group is a major victory for transatlantic unity and a significant blow to this terrorist regime.”
“American Jewish Committee has long maintained that the IRGC—because of its support for terrorism, destabilizing activities worldwide, and grave human rights abuses—must be recognized for what it is: a terrorist organization,” said Ted Deutch, CEO of American Jewish Committee. “An EU designation is essential to isolating the regime, curbing its malign activities, and protecting our allies and Jewish communities around the world. We commend Representatives Tenney and Sherman for urging the EU to take this necessary step.”
Read the full letter here.
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