Iran’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Wednesday, November 11, 2026, officially designated Argentina’s Navy and Air Force as terrorist organisations. The decision, published at approximately 11:45 AM local time from the ministry’s headquarters in Tehran, serves as a direct retaliation against Buenos Aires.
​In an official statement issued from Imam Khomeini Square, the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned Argentina’s prior decision to label Iran’s elite Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a terror group. Tehran labeled Argentina’s move a “hostile act” that violates the fundamental principles of international law.
​Iranian officials invoked a domestic reciprocal action law enacted in 2019, originally designed to penalize foreign states that support or align with United States sanctions against the IRGC.
​According to the ministry’s spokesperson’s office, the Iranian government considers the Argentine Armed Forces subject to the full enforcement of this statute.
​”Based on the principle of reciprocity, the Islamic Republic of Iran deems the Argentine Navy and the Argentine Air Force subject to the provisions of the 2019 law and hereby designates both military branches as terrorist organisations,” the official Iranian Foreign Ministry statement read. “It is self-evident that the Argentine government shall bear full responsibility for all consequences arising from this action.”
​The diplomatic fallout traces back to March 31, 2026, when the administration of Argentine President Javier Milei formally classified the IRGC as a terrorist entity.
​Buenos Aires justified its March ruling by citing the IRGC’s support for the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah, which Argentine judicial authorities hold responsible for the July 18, 1994 bombing of the AMIA (Asociación Mutual Israelita Argentina) Jewish community center in Buenos Aires that killed 85 people and injured hundreds. Iran has consistently denied involvement in the 1994 attack.
​Tehran’s sanctioning of the South American military branches marks the latest instance of its diplomatic policy of mirror-designations; November 1, Iran designated the United Kingdom’s Royal Navy and Royal Air Force as terrorist entities while listing Britain’s Secret Intelligence Service (MI6) as a hostile group. This followed the UK’s decision in July to proscribe the IRGC.
The Iranian Parliament listed several European military forces as terrorist groups after the European Union issued sanctions targeting the IRGC.
​While the practical financial or military impacts of the designation remain unclear, foreign policy analysts note that the move further isolates bilateral diplomatic channels between South America and Tehran.
