Iran Labels Argentine Navy and Air Force ‘Terrorist Organisations’ in Reciprocal Move

The decision marks a tit-for-tat response to Buenos Aires placing Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps on its terror blacklist earlier this year.

Published On 11 Nov 202611 Nov 2026

Tehran has declared that it will classify Argentina’s navy and air force as “terrorist organisations,” retaliating for Buenos Aires’s decision to blacklist Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) in March.

Iran’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced the designation on Wednesday, stating that under the principle of reciprocity it now regards both branches of the Argentine military as “terrorist organisations.” The statement made no reference to Argentina’s army.

“It is clear that the responsibility for all consequences arising from this matter will rest with the Argentine government,” the ministry added.

Argentina’s foreign ministry issued its own statement in response, saying it “categorically rejects” Iran’s designation.

“This measure is entirely without foundation and amounts to an unacceptable accusation,” the Argentine statement read.

Wednesday’s exchange is hardly the first friction between the two nations. Argentina holds the Iran-backed group Hezbollah responsible for the 1994 bombing of the AMIA Jewish community centre in Buenos Aires, an attack that killed 85 people and wounded hundreds more.

President Javier Milei’s office invoked that attack on March 31 when it branded the IRGC a “terrorist organisation.”

“President Javier Milei hopes this decision will settle a historical debt of more than 30 years with the families of the victims,” his office said at the time.

“This government is determined to return the Argentine Republic to alignment with Western civilisation, while condemning and directly confronting those who seek to destroy it.”

The IRGC designation also dovetailed with efforts by United States President Donald Trump to isolate Iran. On February 28, the US and Israel launched a war against Iran and have since pressed international allies to join their offensive.

Although many Latin American leaders have sought to stay out of global conflicts, Milei has firmly aligned his government with Washington and Israel.

His combative style has at times put him at odds with other nations in the region, including major economic players such as Brazil. He has also reignited Argentina’s long-running dispute with the United Kingdom over the Falkland Islands, which Argentina calls Las Malvinas and claims as its own territory.

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