Iran summons EU ambassadors to protest designation of IRGC as terror group

Tehran said on Monday it summoned all of the European Union ambassadors in the country to protest against the bloc's decision to classify Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a terror group.

Last week, the EU designated the paramilitary group as a terrorist organisation over its violent repression of nationwide protests, which killed thousands and led to the detention of tens of thousands.

Other countries including the US and Canada had previously made the same designation.

The summoning of ambassadors reportedly started on Sunday and continued through Monday, according to Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei.

“A series of actions were reviewed, various options are being prepared and were sent to the related decision-making bodies,” Baghaei said.

"We think that in coming days, a decision will be made about a reciprocal action by the Islamic Republic of Iran toward the illegal, unreasonable and very wrong move by the EU".

Tehran had already responded on Sunday to the EU’s decision with a symbolic countermeasure, by designating all EU militaries as terrorist organisations.

Trump: 'Hopefully we'll make a deal'

Iran's security forces, the IRGC in particular, have used extreme brutality against demonstrators in recent weeks.

Human rights organisations have been gathering evidence showing that at least 6,000 Iranians have been killed, while insiders in Iran and several EU foreign ministers recently spoke of more than 30,000 feared dead.

In response, Washington threatened to intervene with military action over the killing of peaceful demonstrators and mass executions.

Last week, the Pentagon moved the carrier USS Abraham Lincoln and several guided-missile destroyers to the region, although it remains unclear whether President Donald Trump will decide to use force.

Tehran has dismissed fears of an intervention over the weekend, saying it is currently involved in negotiations with Washington.

However, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei warned the US any conflict would spill over into the entire region.

"America should know that if it starts a war, this time it will be a regional war," Khamenei said.

"These threats are nothing new. In the past as well, American officials repeatedly talked about war and said that all options were on the table including war," he added.

The US president has since dismissed Khamenei's sabre-rattling, stating that a deal is still on the table.

"We have the biggest, most powerful ships in the world over there, very close, a couple of days," Trump told reporters on Sunday.

"Hopefully, we'll make a deal. If we don't make a deal, we'll find out whether or not he was right."