TEHRAN- Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian asserted on Thursday that the European Parliament has “shot itself in the foot” while voting to call for the European Union and its member states to include Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC) as a “terrorist organization.”

In a phone conversation with EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell, Amir Abdollahian sharply blasted the European Parliament's “emotional, injudicious, inaccurate and unprofessional” conduct, which is at odds with political reason and decency.

The European Parliament has only an advisory role. In its initial response, Iran has said it would declare EU armies as terrorist organizations if the IRGC were banned.
Threatening reprisal, Abdollahian stated, “In the field of diplomacy it is vital to respect mutual security and develop mutual trust instead of pursuing the language of threats and hostile acts.”

Abdollahian underlined that Iran has frequently declared that the IRGC is an official state body which has had and will continue to have an essential and key role in safeguarding the security of Iran and the region, notably in the battle against terrorism.

The top diplomat stressed that the Iranian Parliament would respond to the proposal in a “legal and strong” manner and urged the European Parliament to “ponder about the dire outcomes of its emotional behavior and to concentrate instead on the track of diplomacy, constructive interaction, and rationality.”

For his part, Borrell acknowledged that the European Parliament’s resolution reflected feelings and concerns in Europe, but emphasized that the body’s decision-making process is entirely autonomous and its decisions are not legally enforceable.

According to the Iranian Foreign Ministry, Borrell also said, “I also agree that the draft by the European Parliament is sensational and is a cause of concern.”

According to the Guardian, some Western politicians fear that if the EU designates the IRGC it could provoke Iran to walk out of talks on reviving the 2015 nuclear deal. 

Borrell also said he is “happy” that diplomacy is underway to resurrect the nuclear deal, officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).
According to the Foreign Ministry, he added, “I will continue my efforts for achieving deal.”
The EU’s chief diplomat, who acts as the JCPOA coordinator, also said she is “happy” to hear the news of cooperation between Iran and the International Atomic Energy Agency and expression of optimism in this regard.

The EU’s top diplomat praised these efforts and promised to keep working to assist the parties reach a final agreement.

FM Qin Gang invites Abdollahian to visit China 

Also, in a phone conversation on Thursday with his Iranian counterpart Abdollahian, the newly appointed Chinese foreign minister extended an invitation for him to pay an official visit to China.

The Iranian foreign minister wished Qin Gang, the new Chinese foreign minister, luck in his new post.

He also wished him and the government and people of China a happy Chinese New Year and spring season.

During the phone conversation, the senior diplomats discussed the most recent state of bilateral relations as well as the most significant regional and global events of shared interest.

Amir Abdollahian made reference to the recently successful visit of a Chinese deputy prime minister to Tehran and stated that high-level delegation exchanges between the two countries are very important.

Such visits will further strengthen Iran-China comprehensive strategic cooperation.

For his part, the chief Chinese diplomat remarked that Beijing places an outstanding value on strengthening ties with Iran and will never spare any opportunity, including exchange of senior delegations, to precipitate such a splendid move.