The Iranian government has listed Canada’s navy as a terrorist organization in a tit-for-tat response to Ottawa’s 2024 inclusion of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) on its list of extremist groups.
A statement from the Iranian foreign ministry said the decision was made in response to Ottawa’s classification of the IRGC as a terrorist organization last summer, saying Canada’s move was “in contravention of the fundamental principles of international law.”
The Dec. 30 statement shared on X highlights the 2019 law passed by Iran after the United States classified the IRGC as a terrorist entity in April of that year. The law allows Tehran to take reciprocal action against countries that support the position adopted by the White House.
The statement said Iran considers the Royal Canadian Navy to fall within the scope of this law and, “within the framework of reciprocal action, hereby designates and declares it as a terrorist organization.” The statement did not list what repercussions, if any, would come with the designation.
Neither the Prime Minister’s Office nor Global Affairs Canada responded to a request for comment on Iran’s decision before publication time.
Canada listed the IRGC as a terrorist entity under the Criminal Code on June 19, 2024. The IRGC, also known as the Iranian Revolutionary Guards, is a multi-service primary branch of the Iranian Armed Forces.
The move prohibits IRGC members from entering the country and Canadians from having any dealings with individual members or the group. The designation also obligated Canadian financial institutions, such as banks and brokerages, to immediately freeze any property linked to the group.
Designation Pressure
The Canadian government had been under pressure to blacklist the Islamic military group long before it did so last year.
The Liberals supported a Conservative motion in the House of Commons to designate the group as a terrorist entity in 2018, but the motion did not advance beyond that point.
Pressure on Ottawa increased in January 2020 after the IRGC shot down Ukrainian International Airlines Flight 752 and killed all passengers on board, including 85 Canadian citizens and permanent residents.
Members of the victims’ families and the Conservative Party called on the Liberal government to make the change, but then-Justice Minister David Lametti said in 2022 that declaring IRGC a terrorist entity would be too much of a “blunt instrument” because military service is mandatory in Iran. He said slapping a terrorist designation on the group could “punish innocent people or those against the regime.”
The Tories began increasing pressure on then-Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his government after the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas terrorist attack against Israel that killed more than 1,200 people. Iran has provided support to Hamas for decades, supplying the terrorist organization with financial resources, weaponry, and training. Iranian leaders also praised the group’s attack on Israel.
MPs in the House of Commons voted unanimously in May 2024 in support of a non-binding motion that called on the government to officially designate the IRGC as a terrorist organization. The change was made official the following month.
Trudeau said in a June 2024 press conference that the regime was focused on “destabilizing and creating chaos and death in democracies and countries around the world,” leading Ottawa to take the “serious step” of classifying the IRGC as a terrorist group.
Then-Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly denied that Canada was pressured by Washington to list the group, but said Ottawa had been in “close contact” with its G7 partners to obtain feedback.
The Canadian Press contributed to this report.
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