TEHRAN - The Iranian Foreign Ministry has categorically condemned Argentina for designating the Quds Force of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) as a terrorist organization, saying this illegal and unjustified decision is an act against Iran’s national security and interests.

“The Argentine government’s decision, which is against international law and norms, and which was adopted under the insinuations and pressure of the genocidal and occupying Israeli regime, will not only seriously harm Iran-Argentina bilateral ties, but also will set a dangerous precedent in intergovernmental relations, and the Argentine government will be responsible for its legal and political consequences,” read a statement issued by the ministry. 

The statement added that the IRGC is a legitimate entity, which, in cooperation with other branches of the Armed Forces, serves to defend the country’s independence, territorial integrity, and national security.

On January 17, Argentine President Javier Milei designated the Quds Force as a terrorist organization, a move politicians and analysts say was intended to please the Israeli regime and the United States.

Elsewhere in the statement, the Foreign Ministry took a swipe at Argentina for blaming Iran in the 1944 AMIA bombing.

The ministry underlined that certain circles in Argentina affiliated with the Israeli regime keep accusing Iran of involvement in the suspicious bomb attack, adding that legal proceedings related to the case have been tampered with over the past decades to withhold the truth about its real perpetrators and masterminds.

Back in July 1994, the Argentine Israelite Mutual Association (AMIA) Jewish center in Buenos Aires was targeted by a bomb attack, in which 85 people were reportedly killed and some 300 others wounded. Although the bombing remains unresolved and unclaimed, Israel has repeatedly accused Iran of being behind the attack—a claim Tehran has steadfastly denied for over three decades.

On April 11, 2024, Argentina’s highest criminal court blamed Iran for the AMIA bombing and claimed that the Lebanese Hezbollah movement carried it out.

The court alleged that the attack was in response to Argentina's reneging on a nuclear cooperation deal with Iran.