The government of Kosovo has declared the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) of Iran a terrorist organization during a meeting on Monday in Pristina. Prime Minister Albin Kurti said during a cabinet meeting that "through this decision, Kosovo strengthens its stance in protecting international security, democratic values, and human rights."
"This is a clear alignment of Kosovo with its strategic allies in the common fight against terrorism," emphasized Kurti.
He described the IRGC as "a structure that uses terrorism and organized violence as an instrument of foreign policy, contributing to regional and global destabilization."
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps is the ideological arm of Tehran's military and was established after the 1979 revolution to protect the clerical leadership. The Guard controls or owns companies across the Iranian economy, including major strategic sectors.
Several countries have already declared the IRGC a terrorist organization, including the United States of America. Recently, the European Union declared it as such after Tehran brutally suppressed anti-government protests earlier this year. Human rights organizations have stated that over 6,000 people were killed during the protests in Iran.
According to them, protesters were killed by security forces, including the Revolutionary Guard, which directly targeted protesters. Iran, with a population of over 91 million, does not recognize Kosovo as a state and has no official diplomatic relations with the country. Placing a group or organization on the blacklist typically involves freezing its assets in that country and imposing visa restrictions on its leaders and officials.