In an official statement, Iran’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs rejected Canada’s action as unlawful, arguing that branding a component of Iran’s official armed forces violates legal norms. The ministry said the decision taken by the Canadian government on June 19, 2024, prompted Tehran to formally designate the Royal Canadian Navy as a terrorist entity.
The statement emphasized that Canada’s classification of the IRGC—an integral and official branch of Iran’s military—runs counter to fundamental principles of international law.
As a result, Iran said it has taken retaliatory measures under the principle of reciprocity by identifying Canada’s naval force as a terrorist organization.
The foreign ministry also referred to Article 7 of a 2019 Iranian law concerning reciprocal responses to the United States’ designation of the IRGC as a terrorist group. Under this legislation, the statement noted, any country that supports or follows Washington’s move to blacklist the IRGC is subject to countermeasures by the Islamic Republic of Iran.
