The Iranian Foreign Ministry said this was the “minimum” response. Meanwhile, President Pezeshkian has reportedly ordered the start of nuclear talks with the US.

Iran on Monday summoned the ambassadors of European Union member states to protest against the bloc’s designation of the country’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a “terrorist organization.”

“Yesterday and today, all European countries and EU member states with embassies in Tehran were summoned to the Foreign Ministry,” said a ministry spokesman, adding that this was the “minimum” response and that further reactions would follow.

The EU’s labelling of the IRGC as a “terrorist organization” last week came amid a bloody crackdown on anti-regime protests in Iran which, according to human rights activists, have seen thousands of people killed by security forces since December.

On Sunday, Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammed Bagher Ghalibaf said Tehran had categorized the armed forces of individual EU states as “terrorist groups” in accordance with 2019 legislation.

Videos published by Iranian media showed lawmakers wearing IRGC uniforms in a show of solidarity, with some chanting “Death to America” and “Death to Israel” with raised fists.

“We ⁠reject the announcement of the listing of armies and the accusation of terrorism,” said a spokesperson for the European Commission.

Iran: President Pezeshkian orders nuclear talks with US

Meanwhile, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has reportedly ordered talks with the United States over Iran’s nuclear program, according to several Iranian media outlets.

“Iran and the United States will hold talks on the nuclear file,” reported the Fars news agency, citing an unnamed government source and not specifying a timeframe. The report was also carried by the government newspaper Iran and the reformist daily Shargh.

Following the Iranian regime’s deadly response to anti-government protests that peaked last month, US President Donald Trump has threatened military action and dispatched an aircraft carrier group to the Persian Gulf.

Trump has warned “time is running out” for Iran to reach a deal on its nuclear program, which the West believes is aimed at making an atomic bomb.

A foreign ministry spokesman said Tehran “never accepts ultimatums” but said: “Several points have been addressed and we are examining and finalizing the details of each stage in the diplomatic process, which we hope to conclude in the coming days.”

According to the Tasnim news agency, which is considered to be close to the IRGC, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi is due to meet US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff for negotiations – which Washington is yet to confirm.

Araghchi travelled to Turkey on Friday, with state news agency IRNA reporting on Monday that he has held telephone calls with his Saudi Arabian, Egyptian and Turkish counterparts to discuss “the latest regional and international developments.”

“While we have always been men of war, we have also always been men of diplomacy,” IRNA quoted him as saying. “Anyone who wants to speak with force will receive force as an answer.”

Tehran: four foreign citizens arrested

Back in Iran, state media reported on Monday that four foreign citizens and the co-author of an Oscar-nominated film had been arrested as the crackdown on anti-government protests continues.

Mehdi Mahmoudian, co-author of the political thriller “It Was Just an Accident,” has reportedly been able to contact his family since his detention, but his lawyer said the allegations against him were not yet known.

According to the dpa news agency, a possible reason for Mahmoudian’s arrest could be a letter he signed together in early January with other public figures, condemning Iran’s bloody repression of protests.

“It Was Just an Accident” addresses the issue of Iranian state violence and experiences in prison. Director Jafar Panahi drew attention to the situation in his homeland with a dramatic appeal at the opening of the European Film Awards in Berlin in mid-January.

“Violence, when left unanswered, becomes normalized,” he said. “And when it becomes normalized, it spreads. It becomes contagious.”

The four foreigners, whose nationalities were not specified, were reportedly detained during a “raid” in Tehran province for their alleged “participation in uprisings.”

Precisely when the arrests took place was also unclear but the report claimed that “four home-made stun grenades” had been found in one of the suspects’ bags, of the sort which “have been deployed during uprisings and disturbances in the area.”

Edited by: Jenipher Camino Gonzalez

DW News