THE confrontation between Iran and western powers took a new turn after Canada followed the footsteps of the United States in labeling the IRGC as a terror group.
Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc made the announcement earlier this week, stating that the government will use all of the tools at its disposal to combat the activities of the IRGC in Canada after accusing the group of supporting terrorism.
Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly also advised Canadians in Iran to leave the Islamic Republic and return home.
The move will ban thousands of senior Iranian government officials, including top IRGC officials, from entering Canada.
Canadians are also not allowed to have any dealings with individual members of the group while any assets owned by the IRGC or its members within Canada could be frozen or seized.
The IRGC, a branch of the Iranian Armed Forces, is estimated to have more than 190,000 active personnel that oversee Iran’s strategic weapons on the ground, air, and sea.
The European Union also sanctioned the IRGC earlier this month for allegedly supplying drones to Russia and its allies in the Middle East.
Iranian expats and families of the victims of Ukraine International Airlines Flight 752 which was downed by Iran shortly after take-off in January 2020, welcomed the decision.
“Listing the IRGC as a terrorist organization has always been one of the main demands of the Association over the past years. We thank the esteemed Government of Canada, all political parties, activists, and individuals who contributed to this achievement,” Association of Families of Flight PS752 Victims said.
All 176 passengers and crew, including 85 Canadian citizens and permanent residents, onboard the downed aircraft died which Iran said was carried out by mistake.
Meanwhile, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kan’ani called Canada’s decision hostile and unwise, adding that the move will have no impact on the group’s operations.
The Iranian spokesman noted that the IRGC is an official and legal entity recognized under Iran’s Constitution, tasked to safeguard national security and borders along with the Armed Forces.
Additionally, the secretary of Iran’s High Council for Human Rights Kazem Gharibabadi strongly condemned the decision and called it a “bitter irony” as he pointed out that Canada is among the major violators of human rights and a supporters of terrorism, in an apparent reference to the nation’s history of mistreating indigenous people.
Canada cut diplomatic ties with Iran in 2012 while the United States listed the IRGC as a foreign terrorist organization in 2019.
