Trump-Iran latest: President considering strikes ‘to inspire protests and force regime change’ after military threat

Iran’s foreign ministry has denounced the EU’s decision to blacklist Iran’s IRGC as a terrorist organisation, saying the move was both “illegal” and “political”.

The ministry also said that designating a county’s official military institution as a “terrorist” organisation was a dangerous move.

According to Al Jazeera, the statement said: “The IRGC is a formal and lawful institution which, under the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Iran, plays a fundamental role in safeguarding national sovereignty, national security, territorial integrity, and in combating terrorism.”

A woman in Tehran told NewsNation that she saw a young man shot in the head in front of her during the demonstrations earlier this month.

“A very young boy, looked to be about 20 years old was next to me,” she told the American network.

“He was shot in the head from a close distance and fell right there. I was scared. I couldn’t see anything. I was just running, I didn’t even know which direction I was moving. As I was moving and running, I felt from behind that my body was burning; I didn’t realise what happened. I hadn’t been shot, but from the waist down, I had been hit by about 150 pellets.”

She went on to say, “The only thing I know is that we, empty-handed, alone, without weapons, cannot achieve anything. We need military help, we need American military help. I am sad, I am angry, but I am hopeful; I hope that this system, this bloodthirsty regime will be overthrown.”

US secretary of defence Pete Hegseth has said that the department of defence was ready to deliver whatever Donald Trump wanted.

Speaking from a cabinet meeting on Thursday, Mr Hegseth said that Iran had the option to make a deal and did not need to pursue nuclear capability.

“We will be prepared to deliver whatever this president expects of the war department,” he said.

Andreas Krieg, associate Professor in security studies at King’s College London, tells The Independent that Iran would likely want to avoid an “all-out” exchange if the US attacks.

The main risk would be miscalculation, he says.

“If the US attacks, Iran’s most likely retaliation is asymmetric and calibrated rather than an immediate all-out exchange,” he said.

“It can target US interests and partners through deniable channels, pressure shipping and energy routes, and use cyber operations.

“It will try to avoid an escalatory cycle that forces Israel into a sustained campaign, because that risks widening the conflict beyond Tehran’s control.”

“The central danger is miscalculation. Coercive signalling can quickly become a war neither side claims to want.”

Israel’s foreign minister has applauded the EU’s decision to blacklist Iran’s IRGC as a “terrorist organisation”, a move he says Israel has worked for years to achieve.

Iran’s foreign minister took aim at European leaders in a scathing post on social media after the EU unveiled fresh sanctions on officials and proscribed the IRGC.

“Several countries are presently attempting to avert the eruption of all-out war in our region. None of them are European,” Abbas Araghchi wrote on X on Thursday afternoon.

“Europe is instead busy fanning the flames. After pursuing ‘snapback’ at the behest of the U.S., it is now making another major strategic mistake by designating our National Military as a supposed “terrorist organization”.”

Araghchi criticised Europe over what he called the “blatant hypocrisy of its selective outrage”, “taking zero action” over Israel’s conduct in Gaza while “rushing to ‘defend human rights’ in Iran”.

Thousands of people are estimated to have died in the regime’s brutal crackdown on protesters this month.

“Moreover, as the continent is certain to be massively impacted by an all-out war in our region—including the knock-on effects of surging energy prices—the EU’s current posture is deeply damaging to its own interests. Europeans deserve better than what their governments have to offer,” he said.

Downing Street has welcomed new EU sanctions on Iran, which include plans to label the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) a terrorist organisation – despite the UK not moving to proscribe the group.

The bloc adopted new sanctions targeting individuals and entities involved in the violent crackdown and is now poised to include the IRGC – the military group loyal to the Iranian regime – on its list of terrorist organisations.

The EU today unveiled fresh sanctions on Iran’s Interior Minister Eskandar Momeni and Prosecutor General Mohammad Movahedi Azad, as well as Iman Afshari, a presiding judge.

“They were all involved in the violent repression of peaceful protests and the arbitrary arrest of political activists and human rights defenders,” the Council said in a statement.

Donald Trump has renewed his threat of military action against Iran, urging the Islamic Republic to make a ‘deal’ or face the consequences with a “massive armada” already en route to the region.

The Independent looks at what is likely to happen next in Iran: