TEHRAN – Canada’s recent decision to designate a major branch of Iran’s military as a “terrorist organization” has been met with a strong rebuke from the Iranian side, which says it reserves the right to reciprocate with a "proper” response.

“Listing the IRGC builds on the Government of Canada’s broader efforts to ensure that there is no impunity for Iran’s unlawful actions and its support of terrorism. Our government will always promote human rights and take action against those seeking to disrupt our way of life, here in Canada and around the world,” wrote Dominic LeBlanc, Canada’s Minister of Public Safety, on X after his government’s decision was announced. 

The Canadian minister, one of the main advocates of designating the Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC) as a terrorist entity, is believed to be extremely close to Israel. He has backed the regime’s ongoing killing campaign in Gaza multiple times in the past months, saying Israel has the “right to defend itself.”

Ottawa’s decision to blacklist the Islamic Revolution Gauds Corps (IRGC) follows a similar move by the United States five years ago, which was also believed to have occurred under Israel’s heavy influence on former U.S. President Donald Trump. The hostile act by Canada is likely to pile pressure on European states, which have resisted the regime’s push to dangerously escalate tensions with Iran for the past few years. 

The IRGC contains some of the most elite forces of the Iranian military, including the Quds Force. The unit spearheaded the fight against Daesh terrorists in Iraq and Syria in the 2010s and successfully prevented the terror outfit’s spread to the rest of the world. 

‘Canada just gifted Israel’

Iran’s acting Foreign Minister condemned Canada’s malicious move on Thursday, describing it as a senseless gift to the Israeli regime, terrorists, and enemies of peace and stability in West Asia.

“Canada's unlawful act of declaring an integral part of the official military force of the Islamic Republic of Iran, which has played an irreplaceable role in defending the national security and territorial integrity of dear Iran, protecting the security and stability of the region, and confronting the terrorism by Daesh, was malicious and violates the principles and rules of international law,” Ali Baqeri expressed on X. 

Iran’s Foreign Ministry Spokesman Nasser Kanaani issued a statement on the same day, accusing the Canadian government of trying to meddle in the West Asian country’s internal affairs. 

“Canada's imprudent decision is a hostile move that runs counter to the recognized principles of international law, including non-interference in the internal affairs of countries, and it constitutes an example of violating Iran's national sovereignty,” he said. “This irresponsible and provocative move is in line with the wrong path that the Canadian government has taken for more than a decade under the influence of warmongers and true violators of human rights and the main sponsors of terrorism,” he added. 

Kanaani noted that the Canadian move will have no impact on the capabilities of the IRGC and that Ottawa should await a “proper response” to its illegal act of blacklisting an entity enshrined in Iran's Constitution.

‘Supporter of terrorism labeling others as terrorists’ 

The secretary of Iran's High Council for Human Rights was another Iranian official to react to the news, pointing out the irony in Canada’s blacklisting of the IRGC when the country itself is serving as a safe haven for one of the most notorious terrorist groups in history. 

“We vehemently condemn the hostile measure by Canada,” Kazem Gharibabadi wrote in a post on X. “It is a bitter irony that the country, which is, itself, among the major violators of the human rights and a supporter of terrorism, has placed the name of the Corps, which bears responsibility for guarding the national security and confronting terrorism in the region, in [its] self-proclaimed terrorist list,” he added.

Canada is home to hundreds of Mujahedin-e-Khalq terrorists, whom it refuses to repatriate and allows to hold annual gatherings on Canadian soil. The MKO has massacred over 17,000 Iranian officials and civilians since the 1980s, boasting that it would do it all over again if a chance is granted.  

Iran’s Foreign Ministry summoned the Italian ambassador to Tehran, the protector of Canada’s interests, to deliver its strong demarche on Thursday.  

The Italian ambassador assured that she would promptly raise the issue with Canadian officials.

‘Against UN Charter’

Abbas Kadkhodaei, a member of Iran’s Guardian Council also reacted to the Canadian move, describing it as a hostile act. 

“Canada’s hostile act against IRGC contradicts UN Charter and international law. Canada has forgotten that IRGC – as an official military institution enshrined in Constitution- has a specific legal status,” he wrote in a post on X. 

He added, “Certainly, this could lead to international response. Listing IRGC as a ‘terror entity’ is against international peace and security and entire Iran nation.”