Tehran announced on Monday that it summoned all European Union (EU) ambassadors in the country to protest the bloc’s decision to classify the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as a terrorist organization, reported The Associated Press.
The EU designation, issued last week, cited the IRGC’s violent repression of nationwide protests that killed thousands and led to the detention of tens of thousands. The designation was made possible after France said it would support the move, withdrawing its longstanding opposition to it.
The United States and Canada had previously made the same designation.
According to Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei, the summoning of ambassadors began on Sunday and continued through Monday.
“A series of actions were reviewed, various options are being prepared and were sent to the related decision-making bodies," he said, adding, “We think that in coming days, a decision will be made about a reciprocal action by the Islamic Republic of Iran toward the illegal, unreasonable and very wrong move by the EU."
Tehran had already issued a symbolic response on Sunday by designating all EU militaries as terrorist organizations.
Iran’s security forces, particularly the IRGC, have used extreme brutality against demonstrators in recent weeks.
Human rights groups have gathered evidence indicating that at least 6,000 Iranians have been killed, while insiders in Iran and several EU foreign ministers have spoken of more than 30,000 feared dead.