Key Points
— Argentina designated Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a terrorist organization, enabling financial sanctions and operational restrictions
— The move follows direct encouragement from Trump and deepens Milei’s alignment with Washington amid the ongoing US-Israeli military campaign against Iran
— Argentina cited the 1992 Israeli embassy and 1994 AMIA bombings in Buenos Aires — both attributed to IRGC-backed Hezbollah — as the basis for the designation
Argentina formally designated Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as a terrorist organization on Tuesday, the government announced on social media. The designation enables the imposition of financial sanctions and operational restrictions against the IRGC and its members within Argentine jurisdiction.
The government cited Argentina’s status as the victim of “two of the most serious terrorist attacks in history” — the 1992 bombing of the Israeli embassy in Buenos Aires, which killed 29, and the 1994 attack on the AMIA Jewish community center, which killed 85. Both attacks have been attributed to Hezbollah operating as the IRGC’s regional proxy.
Milei’s Deepening US Alignment
The designation was adopted after direct encouragement from President Trump, who has pressed allied nations to take similar steps as the US-Israeli military campaign against Iran enters its second month. The United States and several other countries already classify both the IRGC and Hezbollah as terrorist organizations.
For Milei, the move reinforces his position as Washington’s closest Latin American ally. It follows a pattern that includes his RIGI investment regime designed to attract US capital, the labor reform agenda backed by international investors, and a foreign policy that has broken sharply with the non-alignment tradition of previous Argentine governments.
Practical Impact
The IRGC controls substantial portions of Iran’s economy, including construction, oil, telecommunications, and defense manufacturing. The Argentine designation allows authorities to freeze assets, block transactions, and restrict the movement of individuals linked to the organization within the country’s financial system.
In practice, the immediate financial impact is limited — Iran’s direct economic footprint in Argentina is negligible. The significance is symbolic and geopolitical: Argentina is signaling to international investors and to Washington that it stands firmly in the Western security architecture, even as domestic institutions challenge other parts of Milei’s agenda.