Argentine President Javier Milei on Saturday signed a decree formally proscribing the Quds Force of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), along with 13 individuals linked to its overseas operations, as a terrorist group.
According to the decree, “The Quds Force is a division of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, specializing in training for carrying out terrorist attacks in other countries." It notes that Argentina itself suffered from the group’s activities in the 1990s, citing the 1992 bombing of the Israeli Embassy in Buenos Aires and the 1994 attack on the AMIA Jewish community center.
“The Argentine Republic was a victim of its operations in the 1990s through the attacks on the Israeli Embassy in Buenos Aires in 1992 and the AMIA Jewish community center in 1994. As of today, this group has been included in the Public Registry of Persons and Entities Linked to Acts of Terrorism and Its Financing," the decree states.
The 1992 embassy bombing killed 29 people. The AMIA attack two years later, carried out by a truck packed with explosives, left 85 dead and 300 wounded - the deadliest terror attack in Argentina’s history.
The decree adds that the designation imposes financial sanctions and operational restrictions. “This decision means that members of the Quds Force and their allies are now subject to financial sanctions and operational restrictions aimed at limiting their capacity to act, as well as protecting Argentina’s financial system from being used to economically support their activities."
It also highlights the case of Ahmad Vahidi, who commanded the Quds Force from 1989 to 1998 and is wanted by INTERPOL for his alleged role in the AMIA bombing. “Despite this, the Iranian regime has not only failed to cooperate with his prosecution, but has promoted him, currently appointing him as deputy commander of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. This individual is already included in the RePET."
Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar welcomed the move, writing, “I commend the decision of the Argentine government, under the leadership of President Javier Milei, to designate the Quds Force as a terrorist organization." He added that the step “strengthens the international front against Iranian terrorism and honors the memory of the victims of the attacks on the Israeli Embassy and the AMIA."
“The Quds Force is part of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps that continues to export terror to the Middle East and all over the world, while terrorizing its own people. More countries should follow Argentina’s example and call these terror organizations by their names," Sa’ar wrote.
The IRGC is already blacklisted by the United States, Canada, Israel, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Paraguay, and Ecuador, while Australia has designated it a state sponsor of terrorism.
Argentina’s move to blacklist the Quds Force came days after the country formally designated branches of the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt, Lebanon and Jordan as terrorist organizations.