The Iranian foreign ministry announced the designation on Tuesday, saying the move was a response to Canada’s decision to list the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a terrorist group.
Iran has declared the Royal Canadian Navy of Canada as a terrorist organisation, following Ottawa’s 2024 decision to blacklist Iran’s Revolutionary Guards.
The Iranian foreign ministry announced the designation on Tuesday, saying the move was a response to Canada’s decision to list the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a terrorist group.
In a statement, the ministry said the action was taken after Ottawa’s designation of the Guards, which it described as being “contrary to the fundamental principles of international law.”
The statement added that Iran, “within the framework of reciprocity, identifies and declares the Royal Canadian Navy as a terrorist organization,” without outlining any specific consequences for the Canadian force.
Canada designated the IRGC a terrorist organisation on June 19, 2024, a move that bars its members from entering the country and prohibits Canadians from having any dealings with the group or individual members.
Under the designation, any assets held in Canada by the Guards or their members are also liable to seizure.
Ottawa accused the IRGC of “having consistently displayed disregard for human rights both inside and outside of Iran, as well as a willingness to destabilize the international rules-based order.”
Opposition lawmakers had long pushed for the designation, although the Liberal government of then-prime minister Justin Trudeau had previously resisted, warning of possible unintended consequences.
Pressure increased in April 2024 after Iran fired hundreds of missiles at Israel, and in May Canada’s House of Commons unanimously adopted a report calling on the government to declare the IRGC a terrorist group.
The decision was also influenced by the downing of Flight PS752 in January 2020, which killed all 176 passengers and crew, including 85 Canadian citizens and permanent residents.
The IRGC later admitted its forces shot down the aircraft shortly after takeoff from Tehran, saying it had been mistaken for a hostile target.
Canada severed diplomatic ties with Iran in 2012, describing the country as “the most significant threat to global peace.”
The United States designated the Guards a foreign terrorist organisation in April 2019, while Australia took a similar step last month, accusing the force of involvement in attacks on Australian soil.