Iran has declared the armies of European countries “terrorist groups” following the European Union’s decision to designate the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as a terrorist organisation.

The declaration was announced on Sunday by the Speaker of Iran’s Parliament, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, amid heightened tensions between Tehran and Western powers.

During Sunday’s legislative session, Iranian lawmakers wore green uniforms associated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps in a show of solidarity with the military body.

State television footage showed legislators chanting slogans including “Death to America”, “Death to Israel,” and “Shame on you, Europe”.

Condemning what he described as Europe’s “irresponsible action”, Ghalibaf said Iran’s response was based on existing legislation.

“Under Article 7 of the Law on Countermeasures Against the Declaration of the IRGC as a Terrorist Organisation, the armies of European countries are considered terrorist groups,” he said.

However, it remained unclear what immediate practical consequences the declaration would have.

The law cited by Ghalibaf was originally passed in 2019 after the United States classified the Guards as a terrorist organisation.

Sunday’s parliamentary session coincided with the 47th anniversary of the return from exile of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the founder of the Islamic Republic, who led Iran’s 1979 revolution.

The Revolutionary Guards serve as the ideological arm of Iran’s military and are tasked with protecting the Islamic system from internal and external threats.

Western governments have accused the Guards of orchestrating a violent crackdown on recent protests in Iran that reportedly left thousands dead.

Tehran, however, has blamed the unrest on what it called “terrorist acts” incited by the United States and Israel.

The European Union agreed on Thursday to list the IRGC as a terrorist organisation over its response to the protests, aligning its position with similar classifications by the United States, Canada and Australia.

Ghalibaf accused Europe of acting at the behest of Washington and Israel.

“The decision, which was carried out in compliance with the orders of the American president and the leaders of the Zionist regime, accelerated Europe’s path to becoming irrelevant in the future world order,” he said.

He added that the move had only strengthened domestic support for the Guards within Iran.

The parliamentary session came amid renewed exchanges of warnings between Iran and the United States over the possibility of military confrontation.

Following Iran’s response to the protests, US President Donald Trump threatened intervention and ordered the deployment of an aircraft carrier group to the region.

In recent days, however, both sides have signalled a willingness to pursue dialogue.

Ali Larijani, head of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, said on Saturday that negotiations were progressing behind the scenes.

“Contrary to the hype of the contrived media war, structural arrangements for negotiations are progressing,” Larijani said.

Trump later confirmed that talks were ongoing but maintained his earlier warning.

“Iran is talking to us, and we’ll see if we can do something, otherwise we’ll see what happens… we have a big fleet heading out there,” he told Fox News.

Trump has previously said he believes Iran would prefer to strike a deal on its nuclear and missile programmes rather than face US military action.

Iran Sets Conditions For Nuclear Talks
Tehran has stated it is open to nuclear negotiations, provided its missile and defence capabilities are excluded from the agenda.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said on Saturday that conflict would benefit no one.

“A war would be in the interest of neither Iran, nor the United States, nor the region,” Pezeshkian said during a phone call with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, according to his office.

Qatar’s Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, also held talks in Iran on Saturday as part of efforts to de-escalate tensions, Qatar’s foreign ministry said.

Amid the escalating rhetoric, ordinary Iranians expressed concern about the possibility of conflict.

Firouzeh, a 43-year-old homemaker who declined to give her full name, said the tensions had left her deeply anxious.

“Lately, all I do is watch the news until I fall asleep. Sometimes I wake up in the middle of the night to check the updates,” she said.

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The Minister of Defence, Christopher Musa, has said the military officers arrested over an alleged coup plot must have made up their minds about the consequences of their actions, even as he assured that they would receive a fair trial.

Musa spoke on the matter during an interview with TRT World, a Turkish news network, where he also outlined the government’s plans to support the families of the accused.

The 16 officers, including a brigadier general and a colonel, were arrested in October 2025. The Defence Headquarters (DHQ) initially described their detention as a result of acts of indiscipline and breaches of service regulations.

However, on January 26, the DHQ publicly confirmed that the officers were linked to a foiled plot to oust President Bola Tinubu.

According to the military, the conspiracy was uncovered in late September 2025 following joint intelligence operations involving the army, the Department of State Services (DSS) and the Defence Intelligence Agency (DIA).

The alleged plot reportedly included plans to assassinate President Tinubu, Vice‑President Kashim Shettima and other senior government officials, as well as to detain senior military leaders.

Musa said the accused officers would have access to legal counsel of their choice and would be treated fairly throughout the judicial process.

“They must have made up their minds when they decided to do this and must have considered their families,” he said.

He reiterated that, despite the gravity of the allegations, due process would be respected.

Musa added, “But even at that, the government is ensuring that their families are treated fairly.

“Their family members are not left alone. The government is making sure that their wives and children are looked after.”

The defence minister stressed that the accused were aware of the potential consequences of their actions.

“The perpetrators already know the repercussions of their action, and I’m sure they are ready to face the wrath,” he said.

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A Nigerian Navy officer, Adam Muhammad Yerima, has been accused of breaching aviation security protocols after allegedly bypassing mandatory passenger screening and attempting to board a commercial flight with a firearm at the Murtala Muhammed Airport, Lagos.

According to SaharaReporters, the officer, a lieutenant, accessed the boarding terminal through the military wing of the airport, thereby avoiding standard civilian security screening procedures, before attempting to board a ValueJet Airlines flight.

Sources said the officer was armed with a pistol, an item prohibited for passengers on commercial flights under regulations of the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), unless properly declared and handled through approved security channels.

Multiple aviation sources familiar with the incident said airline security officials detected the breach and stopped the officer from boarding the aircraft with the weapon.

The officials reportedly insisted that he comply with civil aviation rules applicable to all passengers, including uniformed personnel travelling on commercial flights.

After initial resistance, the officer was said to have submitted to screening and firearm declaration procedures and was later allowed to board the flight.

However, the matter reportedly escalated after the incident.

Sources disclosed that the Nigerian military subsequently wrote an official letter to ValueJet Airlines, accusing the airline of disrespecting military personnel and demanding a formal apology for stopping the officer from boarding with his firearm.

According to insiders, Lieutenant Yerima completely bypassed designated civilian checkpoints by entering the terminal through the restricted military wing, a move said to be in violation of aviation safety rules.

Under existing regulations, all passengers -regardless of status – must undergo screening, and firearms must be formally declared and processed under strict security protocols.

Industry insiders said the incident reflects a broader pattern at major Nigerian airports, where some military personnel allegedly refuse to submit to standard boarding procedures.

A senior ValueJet official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told SaharaReporters that airline staff are frequently intimidated when they insist on compliance.

“This is a recurring issue. Some military personnel refuse to follow boarding protocols and sometimes threaten airline officials when asked to comply,” the source said.

The official added that airlines are not entirely blameless, admitting that some carriers occasionally facilitate such breaches to avoid confrontation.

“They send protocol officers to collect boarding passes and move straight from the military wing to the aircraft, bypassing all checks,” the source said.

The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) has also come under criticism for allegedly failing to address repeated complaints about such security breaches.

Sources said reports submitted to FAAN over similar incidents often go unanswered, with the authority accused of siding with military officers rather than enforcing aviation safety regulations.

In a recent incident at Port Harcourt International Airport, airline staff reportedly reported military personnel for violating boarding protocols, but FAAN allegedly reprimanded the airline instead, while the officers faced no sanctions.

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