Iranian official says Revolutionary Guards have no plan to hold military exercises in the Gulf

The naval forces of Iran's Revolutionary Guards have no plan to carry out live-fire exercises in the Strait of Hormuz as reported by some media outlets earlier this week, an Iranian official told Reuters on Sunday.

Iran's state-run Press TV reported on Thursday that the force would carry out the exercises in the Strait of Hormuz on February 1 and February 2.

"There was no plan for the Guards to hold military exercises there and there was no official announcement about it. Only media reports which were wrong," the official said.

EU forces declared “terrorist organizations”

Iran’s parliament speaker said Sunday that European countries’ armed forces are considered “terrorist organizations” under Iranian law, warning that the EU would bear responsibility for the consequences of its actions against Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), according to Fars news agency.

In remarks during a parliament session, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said that “under Article 7 of the Law on Countering the Designation of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as a Terrorist Organization, the armies of European countries are considered terrorist groups.”

He added that “the consequences of this action will be the responsibility of the European Union.”

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Meanwhile, Iranian lawmakers wore uniforms of the IRGC during the parliamentary session in response to what they described as the EU's “hostile action” in designating the IRGC as a terror group.

Ghalibaf criticized what he described as the EU’s “irresponsible move” to label the IRGC a “terrorist organization,” saying the decision was taken “in line with the directives of the US president (Donald Trump) and leaders of the (Israeli) Zionist regime.”

The remarks came after EU foreign ministers reached a political agreement on Thursday to designate the IRGC as a terrorist organization, a move announced by EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas, who said the decision was taken in response to what she described as repression by Iranian authorities.

Tensions have escalated between Tehran and Washington in recent weeks, following US President Trump’s statements that a “massive armada” was moving toward Iran, alongside his call for Tehran to “come to the table” for negotiations.

Iranian officials have warned that any US attack would draw a “swift and comprehensive” response, while reiterating that Tehran remains open to talks only under what it describes as “fair, balanced, and noncoercive terms.”