Iran decries Canada's move to list IRGC as 'terrorist group,’ vows response

By Syed Zafar Mehdi

TEHRAN, Iran (AA) – Iran has condemned Canada's decision to list the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) as a "terrorist group," describing the move as "irresponsible and provocative."

In a statement on Thursday, Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani said the move by the Canadian government will have "no effect" on the IRGC's "legitimate and deterrent power."

He said Iran "reserves the right to respond appropriately and reciprocally," according to the statement.

"This irresponsible and provocative move is in line with the wrong path that the Canadian government has been following for more than a decade under the influence of war-mongers, real human rights violators, and the main sponsors of terrorism," Kanaani said.

Canada on Wednesday listed the Iranian elite military force as a "terrorist group" under the country's Criminal Code.

A statement issued by Ottawa noted that there are "reasonable grounds" to believe that it has "knowingly carried out, attempted to carry out, participated in, or facilitated a terrorist activity or has knowingly acted on behalf of, at the direction of, or in association with an entity that has knowingly carried out terrorist activity."

The Canadian government said it will "use all tools at its disposal to combat the terrorist activity of the IRGC."

Acting Foreign Minister Ali Bagheri Kani also denounced the Canadian move as “a malicious provocation that violates the principles and rules of international law and is just a gift to the ‘genocidal’ regime.”

The “Canadian government will be responsible for the consequences of this provocative and irresponsible decision,” he added on his X account.

As a result of the designation of the IRGC, Canadian financial institutions are required to immediately freeze the military force’s properties, and Canadian nationals are also not allowed to cooperate with it.

Immediately after the announcement was made on Wednesday, Iran's top human rights official and deputy judiciary chief, Kazem Gharibabadi, termed the move as a "hostile action" and said it was "contrary to the principles of international law."

"It is a bitter irony that a country which itself is a major violator of human rights and a supporter of terrorism has placed the IRGC, which is responsible for national security and counter-terrorism in the region, on its self-proclaimed terrorist list," the official said.

While the IRGC is designated as a "foreign terrorist group" by the US, other countries have so far been hesitant to push ahead with the move due to legal issues.

In January last year, the Iranian Parliament warned of a "decisive and prompt" response after the European Parliament moved to designate the IRGC.

It came after European lawmakers overwhelmingly voted for a resolution that called for “the EU and its member states to include the IRGC on the EU’s terrorist list."

Iran has maintained that designating the elite force as a terrorist entity is an "illegal" move as it is the official military branch of the Iranian government.

Experts believe that the move by the Canadian government is likely to escalate tensions between the two countries.