Sweden Calls for IRGC to be Designated as a 'Terrorist' Organization

Following several attacks against Israeli interests in Sweden, Stockholm has called for the designation of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a 'terrorist' organization. Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson stated on Sunday, October 14, that Sweden is urging the European Union to officially recognize the IRGC as a terrorist organization due to multiple attacks on Israeli targets in the country. The Swedish Security Service (SAPO) has accused Iran of committing violent crimes against Israel and other targets in Sweden by hiring members of Swedish criminal gangs; Iran has denied these allegations. Over the past year, there have been three attacks against the Israeli embassy in Stockholm, and in the last six months, an Israeli military technology company has been targeted in two attacks. In an interview with the newspaper Expressen, Kristersson emphasized the need for Sweden to seriously address this issue in collaboration with other EU countries. He stated that the problematic connection between the IRGC and their destructive role in the region, as well as their escalating actions in various European countries including Sweden, must be addressed. The Prime Minister added, 'The only reasonable outcome... would be for us to reach a common terrorist classification so that we can act more broadly than the existing sanctions.' About ten days ago, Swedish and Danish police reported attacks near the Israeli embassy in both countries. Danish police reported two explosions 'possibly with hand grenades' near the Israeli embassy in Copenhagen and announced the arrest of three Swedish citizens in connection with this. The Swedish police also stated that the Israeli embassy in Stockholm was shot at the day before the explosion in Copenhagen. Subsequently, Swedish television SVT reported that the attacks on the Israeli embassies in Stockholm and Copenhagen were carried out on the orders of the criminal gang Foxtrot and directed by Iran. The Swedish newspaper Dagens Nyheter reported in May this year, citing documents from the Mossad, that Iran had recruited Rava Majid, the head of the Swedish criminal network Foxtrot, as well as his main rival, Ismail Abdo, the head of the Rumba gang. Sweden also claims that Iran is responsible for the 2023 hacking attack in the country. Relations between Stockholm and Tehran have been tumultuous in recent years, heavily influenced by the arrest and trial of Hamid Noury in Sweden for his involvement in the mass executions of prisoners at Evin prison in 1988. Sweden eventually exchanged Hamid Noury for Johan Flodros, a Swedish EU diplomat, and Saadi Azizi, another Swedish citizen. Ahmad Jalali, an Iranian-Swedish citizen, has also been sentenced to death in Iran. He was arrested and sentenced to death on charges of espionage after traveling to Tehran at the invitation of Iran. His wife accuses the Swedish government of inaction in efforts to secure his release. Habib Asiyoud, another dual Iranian-Swedish citizen, was kidnapped during a trip to Turkey in October 2020 and transferred to Iran. The Islamic Republic accused him of leading 'Harakat al-Nidal,' a separatist movement of Arab Khuzestan, and executed him in April 2023.