Overview
- The U.S. State Department’s Western Hemisphere bureau, which posted its message Friday, praised Argentina for listing Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as a terror group and for expelling Iran’s top envoy.
- Argentina formalized the IRGC designation on March 31 by adding it to RePET, the national registry that lets authorities freeze assets, restrict operations, and impose sanctions on listed people and entities.
- After declaring chargé d’affaires Mohsen Soltani Tehrani persona non grata on April 2, Argentina ordered him to leave in 48 hours, and Foreign Minister Pablo Quirno confirmed Saturday that he had departed.
- Iran’s Foreign Ministry condemned the steps as illegal and inappropriate, saying Buenos Aires acted under U.S. and Israeli influence.
- Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar lauded Argentina’s move, and the measures deepen a diplomatic rift with Tehran that could expand as sanctions and asset freezes hit individuals linked to the IRGC.