Tehran Hardens Posture: IRGC Threatens Retaliation, Cuts IAEA Cooperation After UN Sanctions

ERBIL (Kurdistan24) – In a powerful and coordinated display of defiance, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) on Sunday issued a stark warning of a "decisive, crushing and regret-inducing" response to any new act of aggression by its enemies, as the nation's top security body simultaneously announced it would "effectively suspend the path of cooperation" with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

The dual announcements, coming just two days after the re-imposition of United Nations sanctions, signal a hardened and confrontational posture from Tehran, which has vowed it will "never bow down to pressure" and will continue to develop its military and nuclear capabilities.

The IRGC, in a formal statement marking the anniversary of the start of the Iran-Iraq war, known as "Sacred Defense Week," declared that any miscalculation by its adversaries—"especially the fake and criminal Zionist regime and the arrogant and deceitful government of the US"—would be met with a devastating reaction.

According to the IRGC-affiliated Tasnim News Agency, the statement asserted that Iran’s armed forces have achieved an effective level of self-sufficiency and deterrence, the "manifestations of which everyone witnessed during the 12-day war in June." The IRGC warned that "if any new miscalculation or aggression by the enemy occurs, the Islamic Republic of Iran will hold the initiative on the battlefield and will give another lethal and instructive response to it."

This muscular military rhetoric was matched by a significant diplomatic move from Iran's Supreme National Security Council (SNSC).

Following a meeting chaired by President Masoud Pezeshkian, the council issued an "important statement" directly linking its decision to halt nuclear cooperation with the actions of the three European nations—France, Germany, and the United Kingdom—that triggered the sanctions "snapback" mechanism.

According to the state-run Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA), the SNSC declared that the "ill-considered actions" of the European trio, which it said ignored Tehran’s recent efforts to cooperate with the IAEA, will "effectively suspend the path of cooperation with the Agency."

This decision represents a major blow to international efforts to monitor Iran's nuclear program and fulfills a long-standing threat from Tehran that it would reduce its cooperation with the UN's nuclear watchdog if sanctions were re-imposed.

Iran’s Foreign Ministry, in a separate statement released by Tasnim, condemned the European move as "unlawful, unfounded, and provocative," arguing it was carried out in line with U.S. policies and "gravely undermines ongoing diplomatic processes."

The ministry placed full responsibility for the consequences of the sanctions snapback "with the US and the European trio."

The backdrop to these defiant statements is a period of intense and escalating conflict. On June 13, Israel launched what Tehran describes as an "unprovoked war of aggression," targeting military, nuclear, and residential areas.

The United States later joined the conflict, striking three of Iran’s nuclear sites on June 22. In response, the IRGC’s Aerospace Force carried out 22 waves of retaliatory missile strikes, dubbed "Operation True Promise III," which it claims inflicted significant damage across Israel.

Iranian forces also targeted al-Udeid Air Base in Qatar, the largest U.S. military installation in the region, before a ceasefire was enforced on June 24.

The IRGC's Sunday statement explicitly referenced these events as evidence of its advanced military readiness, which it said includes "comprehensive combat readiness, strategic prudence, people-based security, intelligence capability, land, sea and air defense, missile and cyber defense, and unfailing support for the Resistance."

The IRGC declared that the "process of empowering the Armed Forces in various areas will not stop."

President Pezeshkian, in a separate address on Saturday, echoed this theme of resilience and defiance.

As reported by IRNA, the president stated that Iran "will never surrender" to "bullying and excessive demands." Referring to the UN Security Council's failure to prevent the sanctions snapback, he said, "the enemies cannot block the path of anyone who has the determination, will, and ability to progress."

He framed Iran’s path forward as one reliant on its own human capital, which he has repeatedly called the nation’s "true wealth," rather than its oil and gas reserves. "By relying on you," he told a gathering of young scientific minds, "Iran can bring prosperity, justice, and fairness to itself and the region."

The Iranian government’s hardened stance was also directed at a recent and unexpected diplomatic front. The General Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces issued a statement, carried by both IRNA and Tasnim, strongly condemning the government of Ecuador for its recent decision to designate the IRGC as a terrorist organization.

The statement blasted the move as a "despicable and illegal action" and an "unreasonable, desperate, illogical and illegal decision" made in service to "the global domination system led by the terrorist-sponsoring America and the fake and rootless Zionist regime."

The military warned that such decisions "could spread the foundations of evil and insecurity in the world" and embolden Israel in its "genocide in Gaza."

Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa signed the executive decree on September 16, designating not only the IRGC but also Hamas and Hezbollah as terrorist organizations.

The move came shortly after a visit to Ecuador by U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and was welcomed by Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar.

The Iranian military’s statement posed a rhetorical question to the Ecuadorian government, asking whether the IRGC, which it said "directly fights against terrorist groups that are puppets of the US and the Zionist regime," constitutes terrorism, or if that label is better applied to "the US and the Zionist regime, which invade the lands of others."

The statement concluded with a warning to the Ecuadorian government "to respect international and human rights and not help the false and evil front."

As Iran marks a week of remembrance for a war that defined a generation, its current leadership is sending a clear and unambiguous message to the world. Faced with renewed international sanctions, a hostile diplomatic move from a distant nation, and the ever-present threat of military confrontation, Tehran is responding not with compromise, but with a doubling-down on its principles of military self-reliance, nuclear intransigence, and unwavering support for its regional allies.

The suspension of IAEA cooperation marks a significant and perilous new phase in the long-running nuclear standoff, while the IRGC's promise of a "regret-inducing" response to any future attack ensures that the region remains on a knife's edge.