The European Union imposed new sanctions against Iran for its "brutal" crackdown on protests, but did not put the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) on its list of terrorist organizations.

"The EU strongly condemns the brutal and disproportionate use of force by the Iranian authorities against peaceful protesters," Swedish Foreign Minister Tobias Billstrom said.

The European Parliament urged the EU to put the IRGC on the list of terrorist organizations.

But Josep Borrell, head of EU diplomacy, said that this is not possible without a decision. According to him, a court of an EU member state must rule on a specific case against the IRGC. "But it is something that cannot be decided without a Court. A Court decision [is needed] first. You cannot say: “I consider you a terrorist because I do not like you," Josep Borrell told reporters on the sidelines of talks in Brussels.