““Ukraine supports nations that value freedom and are truly ready to fight for it. The whole world sees what is happening in Iran,” Zelensky said”, — write: www.radiosvoboda.org
“Ukraine supports nations that value freedom and are truly ready to fight for it. The whole world sees what is happening in Iran, the number of murders and how the Iranian regime has contributed to the spread of war and violence in the region and the world. Ukraine will not forget any of the thousands of “martyrs” who hit our cities and villages, our people,” he said in his video address.
Zelensky reminded that the EU agreed on the decision to designate one of the main organizations of the regime in Iran as terrorist, the so-called Guard Corps of the Islamic Revolution.
“We in Ukraine have already made such a decision and have already identified this organization as a terrorist, and for us this issue is closed. All terrorists in the world deserve the same treatment and condemnation – no one should win,” the Ukrainian president added.
On January 29, EU countries supported the recognition of the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as a terrorist organization and agreed to impose sanctions against Tehran.
The United States, Canada, and Australia have already designated the IRGC as a terrorist organization. EU members Germany and the Netherlands have repeatedly called on the bloc to follow suit, arguing that the group’s involvement in repression at home and destabilizing activities abroad justify such a move.
At the end of December and in January, large-scale protests swept Iran. At first, the participants of the protests made demands related to the economic crisis, and later began to chant slogans against the authorities.
The authorities report 3,117 deaths, the human rights organization HRANA claims to have confirmed data on the deaths of 6,713 people, mostly protest participants. Other human rights organizations and mass media cite other data, all of which are unconfirmed.
The IRGC is the most powerful branch of Iran’s armed forces, operating independently of the regular army and reporting directly to Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. Created by Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini in 1979 to defend the Islamic Revolution, the IRGC has since evolved into a multi-purpose armed force with its own ground forces, navy, air force, intelligence units and special forces.
With more than 180,000 troops under its command, the force plays a central role in Iran’s internal security, border control and missile programs. They also wield considerable economic power through their control of key industries and infrastructure.