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Iranian foreign policy – Update as of 21/06/2024

The files we follow:  Iranian foreign policy, Iranian homeland security

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 On 19 June, the Canadian government officially announced, through its Minister of Public Safety Dominic LeBlanc, that it had added the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps to the national list of entities considered to be terrorists. The Minister commented on his Social Network X account: “The Iranian regime has always shown a total disregard for human rights, both inside and outside Iran, as well as a desire to destabilise the rules-based international order. […] Our government will always defend human rights and take action against those who seek to disrupt our way of life, here in Canada and around the world.” These statements obviously refer to the ongoing conflicts directly involving the Islamic Republic and the chaotic context in the Middle East.

The government’s official website also took the opportunity to add various proxies receiving assistance from the Guardians to the terrorist list, namely Hezbollah, Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad: “The decision to list the IRGC under the Criminal Code listing regime sends a clear message: Canada will use all the tools at its disposal to combat the IRGC’s terrorist activities, carried out unilaterally and in conscious association with listed terrorist entities such as Hezbollah and Hamas. ” With this clarification, the declaration highlights the transnational dimension of the Guardians’ activities, and the organisation’s leading involvement in current conflicts, in particular the confrontation between Hamas and the State of Israel.

 The consequences of Ottawa’s decision are first and foremost political. Given that the Revolutionary Guards are a body fully integrated into the system of the Islamic Republic, and that their role is defined by article 91 of the Iranian constitution, the decision to classify the organisation as terrorist implies highlighting, at least indirectly, the criminal and illegitimate nature of the Iranian government as a whole. The communiqué therefore has considerable diplomatic significance. On the other hand, and as emphasised in the same press release, this decision allows the Canadian government to take concrete measures. For Canadian financial institutions, for example, this may mean freezing the assets of targeted entities. Finally, the blacklist also helps security and intelligence organisations in their fight against terrorism: “[…] A listing can also help prevent sympathisers in Canada from helping terrorist groups”. Finally, the addition of the Revolutionary Guards Corps to this list is an important step taken by the Canadian government, which is trying to assert a firm position on Iran’s foreign policy.

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