Iran lists Argentina navy, air force as terrorist organisations

Iran’s foreign ministry on Wednesday designated Argentina’s navy and air force as terrorist organisations, following a similar move by Buenos Aires months earlier. In late March, Argentina designated Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, the ideological arm of the military, as a terror organisation, citing the IRGC’s support for Lebanese militant group Hezbollah.

Buenos Aires says the group was involved in a 1994 attack on the AMIA Jewish community centre in Buenos Aires that killed 85 people and injured hundreds more. In 2019, Iran passed a law that could see the country retaliate against any state that designates its military forces as terrorist organisations. Tehran “deems the Argentine Navy and the Argentine Air Force subject to the aforementioned law and its provisions, and designates them as terrorist organisations,” the ministry said in a statement.

It was not immediately clear what practical effect the designation would have. Earlier this month, Iran made a similar move designating UK’s MI6 as a hostile group and the country’s Royal Navy and Royal Air Force as terrorist organisations. It came after the UK designated the IRGC as a terror organisation in July.