Seimas, the Lithuanian Parliament
Seimas, the Lithuanian ParliamentiStock

The Seimas, the Lithuanian parliament, on Thursday passed a resolution designating the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a terrorist organization, Lithuanian Radio and Television (LRT) reported.

On Friday, Conservative MP Emanuelis Zingeris told a press conference, "We were the first among EU parliaments to declare this (...). We recognize the IRGC as a terrorist organization."

"Starting yesterday, our Interior Ministry must monitor whether members of this terrorist organization are crossing our borders."

Under the resolution, the parliament declared that the IRGC is a terrorist organization and its activities pose a threat to international stability and security.

The country also called on the European Union to follow suit, LRT noted.

The parliament "calls on the EU, together with its partner countries, to adopt new sanctions packages against Iran, targeting individuals and companies involved in the development and transfer of Iran’s ballistic missile and drone programs to Russia and terrorist organizations, as well as imposing restrictive measures on Iran’s aviation sector," the resolution, quoted on LRT, reads.

"For more than 40 years now, the current government of the Islamic Republic of Iran, which came to power undemocratically during the 1979 revolution, has systematically carried out repression, pursued discriminatory policies against women, violated the rights of its citizens, as well as human rights, and cracked down on protesters."

The resolution also condemns Iran's military support of Russia in the Ukraine-Russia war, and criticizes both Iran and Russia for their support of the Hamas, Islamic Jihad, and Hezbollah terror groups, as well as their support of the Houthi rebels in Yemen.

Lithuania's MP Giedrius Surplys noted that the European Parliament has already discussed this issue, but no decision has been taken so far.