Iran lists Argentina’s Navy, Air Force as terrorist organisations

Iran has designated Argentina's Navy and Air Force as terrorist organisations, invoking the principle of reciprocity in response to President Javier Milei’s decision earlier this year to blacklist Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).

Iran's Foreign Ministry announced the move on Wednesday, describing Argentina's designation of the IRGC as a hostile measure and warning that Milei’s government would be responsible for any consequences.

In late March, Milei's government designated the IRGC, the ideological arm of Iran's military, as a terrorist organisation, citing its support for Lebanese militant group Hezbollah.

Argentina also accuses the group of backing Hezbollah and Iran of involvement in two terrorist attacks in Buenos Aires: the 1992 bombing of the Israeli Embassy, which killed 29 people, and the 1994 bombing of the AMIA Jewish community centre, which left 85 dead and hundreds injured.

Tehran's response is based on a 2019 Iranian law that provides for retaliation against any state that designates its armed forces as terrorist organisations.

"According to the principle of reciprocity and pursuant to the 2019 law, the Argentine Navy and the Argentine Air Force are subject to the provisions of the aforementioned law and are hereby designated as terrorist organisations," Iran's Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

Tehran described Argentina's decision as "hostile and contrary to the fundamental principles of international law," arguing that the IRGC was an integral part of Iran's Armed Forces.

"The Argentine government will bear responsibility for all the consequences arising from this action," the Ministry added, without elaborating.

The move comes amid deteriorating relations between Buenos Aires and Tehran. Since taking office in December 2023, Milei has aligned Argentina with the United States and Israel. The President backed their joint attack on Iran in late February, which triggered the war in the Middle East.

Argentina expelled Iran's most senior diplomatic representative in Buenos Aires, Mohsen Soltani Tehrani, back in April.

Milei’s government designated the IRGC's Quds Force, an overseas operations arm of the organisation, as a terrorist group in January, before extending the designation to the wider Revolutionary Guard in March.

Iran has invoked the principle of reciprocity against other countries. Earlier this month, Tehran designated Britain's foreign intelligence service MI6 as a hostile group and the Royal Navy and Royal Air Force as terrorist organisations, following the UK's decision to blacklist the IRGC in July.

– TIMES/AFP/NA