Iran Designates Argentina’s Navy and Air Force as Terrorist Groups

The ministry issued the statement on Wednesday and made no mention of Argentina’s army. Tehran said the Argentine government had taken a “hostile action” that violated “fundamental principles of international law” by designating the IRGC, which Iran describes as an official branch of its armed forces.

Reciprocity Under a 2019 Law

Iran said the decision was based on the principle of reciprocity and a 2019 law adopted after the United States designated the IRGC a terrorist organization. The law, it said, provides that countries that “in any way comply with or support” the U.S. decision shall be subject to reciprocal measures.

“Accordingly, Islamic Republic of Iran deems the Argentine Navy and the Argentine Air Force subject to the aforementioned law and its provisions, and designates them as terrorist organizations,” the ministry said, according to Mehr News.

The Foreign Ministry added that “the responsibility for all consequences resulting from this issue is borne by the government of Argentina,” without elaborating. Reuters, which confirmed the statement, also noted that the army was not named.

Argentina’s IRGC Designation

Argentina designated the IRGC a terrorist organization on March 31 and added it to its Public Register of Persons and Entities Linked to Acts of Terrorism and Their Financing, known as RePET. The joint resolution by the foreign and security ministries was published in the Official Gazette on April 6, allowing financial sanctions and operational restrictions.

President Javier Milei’s office tied the measure to the 1992 bombing of the Israeli Embassy in Buenos Aires, which it said killed 29 people and wounded more than 200, and the 1994 bombing of the AMIA Jewish community center, which killed 85 and wounded more than 300. The presidential statement said judicial investigations and intelligence work had found that both attacks were “planned, financed and executed with the direct participation of senior officials of the Iranian regime and operatives of the Revolutionary Guard,” and described Hezbollah as the IRGC’s “operational arm” in the region.

Iran has long rejected those accusations. Buenos Aires had already designated the IRGC’s overseas Quds Force in January. Reuters reported that the March decision followed a push by the Trump administration for allies to list the IRGC.

Milei, who has said that anyone who “messes with Israel messes with the whole West,” described the IRGC listing as settling “a historical debt of more than 30 years with the families of the victims.”

Tehran Frames the IRGC as a Regular Force

The Revolutionary Guard is a separate military branch from Iran’s regular army and also controls large parts of the country’s economy. It has remained central to Tehran’s wartime posture, from underground missile facilities to warnings about nuclear doctrine.

Iran’s latest designation is a legal and political countermeasure under the 2019 reciprocity law, not a claim of Argentine involvement in attacks on Iran. There was no immediate official comment from Buenos Aires.