Brussels: The European Union has officially designated Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard as a terrorist organisation, the bloc’s top diplomat announced Thursday, following a violent crackdown on nationwide protests that has drawn global condemnation.

EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas confirmed on social media that foreign ministers from the 27-nation bloc reached a unanimous decision to blacklist the elite force.

"EU Foreign Ministers just took the decisive step of designating Iran's Revolutionary Guard as a terrorist organisation," Kallas wrote in a post on X. "Any regime that kills thousands of its own people is working toward its own demise."

The designation subjects the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) to severe restrictive measures, including a prohibition on funding and an asset freeze. While several IRGC commanders were already under individual sanctions, the new label places the entire organisation on the same legal footing as groups such as al-Qaeda and Hamas.

The move follows a wave of sanctions earlier Thursday targeting 15 Iranian officials and six organisations linked to the repression of protesters. Activists and human rights monitors report that more than 6,300 people have been killed by security forces since demonstrations erupted across the Islamic Republic.

The political breakthrough in Brussels came after several key member states, including France and Spain, dropped their long-standing opposition to the listing. Previously, some European capitals had expressed concern that such a move could permanently sever diplomatic channels or endanger European dual nationals currently detained in Iran.

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot stated that the decision was a necessary response to "the unbearable repression that has engulfed the peaceful revolt of the Iranian people."

The EU’s action aligns its policy with that of the United States, Canada, and Australia, all of which have previously designated the Guard as a terrorist entity.

With inputs from AP