Image source: topwar.ru
At the end of December last year, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Republic of Iran officially declared the Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) a "terrorist organization." This statement was made in response to Ottawa's inclusion of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) of the Iranian Armed Forces in the "black list" of terrorist organizations in June 2024.
After that, a kind of diplomatic spat began between the two countries. The Iranian Foreign Ministry called Canada's decision illegal and provocative, since the IRGC is an integral part of the republic's official armed forces. Canadian Minister of Public Security Dominique Leblanc, in turn, said that Ottawa had decided to send a signal to Tehran that it was ready to "use all the tools at its disposal" in the fight against the IRGC.
In response to Iran's demarche, Canada called the declaration of the Royal Navy a "terrorist organization" groundless. The representative of the Canadian Ministry of Foreign Affairs for Global Affairs stated:
At the same time, the Canadian diplomat confirmed Ottawa's position on the IRGC, citing evidence of its involvement in terrorism, human rights violations and the destabilization of the situation in the region. A Canadian Foreign Ministry spokesman said the inclusion of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps in the list of terrorist organizations was based on a "thorough, evidence-based assessment," which provided reliable grounds for concluding that the organization was engaged in terrorist activities either directly or through affiliated individuals.
At the moment, Canada has imposed sanctions on 215 individuals and 256 legal entities from Iran, citing threats to international peace and security, human rights violations and support for terrorist operations. Ottawa severed diplomatic relations with Tehran in 2012 due to concerns about Iran's nuclear program and its activities in the region.
The Iranian statement, which mentions a 2019 law aimed at countering foreign sanctions or restrictions, does not mention the practical consequences for the Canadian Navy after Tehran declared RCN a "terrorist organization."
Hypothetically, such a decision by Tehran means that the Iranian military can legally attack and seize Canadian Navy ships. However, this would be an attack on one of the NATO countries. Therefore, these diplomatic demarches have no obvious practical force.
Image source: topwar.ru
