EU signals continued diplomacy even after Iran's Revolutionary Guards designation as terrorists

ISTANBUL

EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said on Thursday that the diplomatic channels will remain open even after they list Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps as a terror organization.

Reaffirming that new sanctions will be adopted and that ministers plan to agree on listing the Revolutionary Guards at a Foreign Affairs Council in Brussels, Kallas said: "The estimate is that still the diplomatic channels will remain open even after the listing of the Revolutionary Guards."

During the meeting, foreign ministers are also expected to discuss recent developments in the Russia–Ukraine war and Greenland.

"Every European country has an army, and 23 countries' armies are also part of NATO structures. So I can't imagine that countries will create a separate European army," Kallas also said, referring to the possibility of a unified European army.

"For me, it is understandable that in the military, you have to have a very straight and understandable chain of command so that whenever something happens, it's clear who gives orders to whom. If we create parallel structures, then it's just going to blur the picture," she added.

Also speaking ahead of the meeting, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot urged the bloc to be able to mobilize all necessary instruments and means when its essential interests—such as territorial integrity, the integrity of electoral processes, and decision-making autonomy—are under attack, referring to recent developments regarding Greenland.

"This is in no way escalatory. It is a way, through clarity, firmness, and unity, to deter any new threat to its essential interests," Barrot said.