H. Res. 288 

In the House of Representatives, U. S., 

April 16, 2024. 

Whereas the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and 

its Basij paramilitary force have been used by Ayatollahs 

Khomeini and Khamenei to maintain the Iranian regime’s power; 

Whereas the IRGC Basij have been used to quash numerous 

protests and democratic uprisings in Iran, including the 

Green Movement; 

Whereas the IRGC Basij continue to perpetrate wide-scale 

human rights abuses inside Iran, including against 

women, children, and minorities; 

Whereas the IRGC Basij are actively suppressing the ongoing 

protests sparked by the death of Mahsa Amini and calls 

for the regime to be toppled; 

Whereas the IRGC Basij are responding to these demonstrations with violence, arrests, and murder, including the arrest of journalists covering these protests; 

Whereas the IRGC trains, funds, arms, and shares intelligence with dangerous proxy forces throughout the Middle East and abroad, including Hezbollah, Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ), the Houthis, and Kata’ib Hezbollah, 

which have targeted civilians and both Europeans and 

Americans; 
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•HRES 288 EH 

Whereas the IRGC continues to provide critical support to 

Bashar al-Assad and his autocratic regime in Syria; 

Whereas the IRGC is actively fueling Russian President 

Vladimir Putin’s illegal war of aggression against 

Ukraine through the provision of hundreds of lethal kamikaze drones and overseeing plans for the construction 

of a new factory in Russia with the capacity to produce 

thousands of Iranian-designed drones; 

Whereas the Iranian-assisted Russian war of aggression poses 

a direct threat to European security and sovereignty; 

Whereas the IRGC has targeted dissidents around the world, 

including throughout Europe; 

Whereas the IRGC Quds Force is responsible for Iranian 

extraterritorial operations, and they likely played a key 

role in Iranian assassinations in the Netherlands, Sweden, Denmark, France, Germany, Bulgaria, and Cyprus 

in recent years; 

Whereas the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, France, Denmark, and Albania have all either arrested or expelled 

Iranian Government officials implicated in terrorist or assassination plots in their respective countries; 

Whereas the IRGC engaged in a murder-for-hire plot to target former National Security Advisor John Bolton and 

former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo for their efforts 

targeting the IRGC and killing IRGC-Quds Force Commander Qasem Soleimani; 

Whereas the IRGC was designated as a Foreign Terrorist 

Organization by the United States in 2019; 

Whereas Iran executed British-Iranian national Alireza 

Akbari and as a result the United Kingdom is considering designating the IRGC as a terrorist organization; 
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•HRES 288 EH 

Whereas in response to the European Union’s consideration 

of designating the IRGC a terrorist organization, IRGC 

Commander Hossein Salami has threatened European 

countries; 

Whereas the European Parliament in January 2023 voted 

598 to 9 in favor of designating the IRGC as a terrorist 

organization as part of its annual foreign and security 

policy report; 

Whereas the European Parliament also in January 2023 

voted overwhelmingly in favor separate Iran-focused resolution that called for designating the IRGC as a terrorist 

organization; 

Whereas thus far the European Union has only sanctioned 

individual members and leaders of the IRGC as terrorists 

but have not yet designated the IRGC in its entirety; 

Whereas under European Council Common Position of December 27, 2001, on the application of specific measures 

to combat terrorism (2001/931/CFSP) (in this preamble 

referred to as ‘‘Common Position 931’’), the European 

Union can designate terrorist organizations if ‘‘a decision 

has been taken by a competent authority’’ that they are 

a terrorist organization; 

Whereas under Council Common Position 931 on combating 

terrorism, the European Union defines ‘‘competent authority’’ to include ‘‘a judicial authority’’; 

Whereas proposals for terrorist organization designations by 

the European Union can come from third-party countries, including the United States; and 

Whereas previous Department of Justice investigations and 

convictions provide the European Union sufficient proof 

under Common Position 931: Now, therefore, be it 
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•HRES 288 EH 

Resolved, 

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

This resolution may be cited as the ‘‘Encouraging the 

European Union to Determine that the European Union 

Should Sanction the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps Now 

As a Terrorist Entity Resolution’’ or the ‘‘Encouraging the 

EU to DESIGNATE Resolution’’. 

SEC. 2. EUROPEAN UNION DESIGNATION OF IRGC AS A TERRORIST ORGANIZATION. 

The House of Representatives— 

(1) urges the European Union to expeditiously designate the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as a terrorist organization under Common Position of December 

27, 2001, on the application of specific measures to combat terrorism (2001/931/CFSP); 

(2) encourages the Biden administration make European Union designation of the Islamic Revolutionary 

Guard Corps as a terrorist organization a diplomatic priority in engagements with the European Union; and 
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•HRES 288 EH 

(3) welcomes the efforts of the international community to designate the Islamic Revolutionary Guard 

Corps as a terrorist organization. 

Attest: 

Clerk.