Canada adds Iran's revolutionary guard corps to terrorist entities list

On Wednesday, the Canadian government announced the addition of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), the ideological army of the Islamic Republic of Iran, to its list of terrorist entities. 

Dominic LeBlanc, Canada's Minister of Public Safety, stated, "Our government has made the decision to list the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as a terrorist entity under the Criminal Code."

Ottawa cited Iran's "disregard for human rights" and its "willingness to destabilize the international order" as primary reasons for this designation. The IRGC has been on the United States' blacklist since 2019.

With this decision, Canada now has the authority to freeze assets and prosecute members of the organization. 

Additionally, all financial transactions involving the IRGC are prohibited. Canada's blacklist currently includes nearly 80 entities, such as Hamas, Al-Qaeda, Hezbollah, the Taliban, ISIS, Boko Haram, and the ultranationalist organization "Proud Boys." 

The Qods Force, the IRGC's external operations branch, was already on this list.

This move comes amid longstanding tensions between Canada and Iran. Canada, along with several other countries, is pursuing legal action against Iran at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to hold Tehran accountable for the downing of a Ukrainian Boeing in 2020.

Following the unrest triggered in Iran by the death of Mahsa Amini in 2022, Ottawa has imposed several rounds of sanctions against Iranian organizations and officials accused of supporting the regime. Canada has notably banned 10,000 Iranian officials, including IRGC members, from entering its territory.

This recent designation of the IRGC as a terrorist entity underscores Canada's firm stance against Iran's actions and its commitment to addressing human rights violations and international destabilization efforts.