DUBAI — Iran’s Foreign Ministry announced Wednesday that Tehran has classified Argentina’s air and naval forces as “terrorist organizations,” a reciprocal measure following Buenos Aires’ April designation of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as a terrorist entity.
In a statement, the ministry said the action was taken “based on the principle of reciprocity” and warned that responsibility for all resulting consequences would rest with the Argentine government. The designation did not include the Argentine army.
Argentina designated the Revolutionary Guard in April, citing its support for Lebanon’s Hezbollah. Buenos Aires holds Hezbollah responsible for the 1994 bombing of a Jewish center in the Argentine capital—the deadliest attack in the nation’s history—which killed 85 people and injured hundreds. The Argentine decision came after the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump pressured Washington’s allies to take similar steps. The Revolutionary Guard is an elite force that protects Iran’s Shia clerical leadership and controls significant portions of the country’s economy.