Argentina expels Iranian diplomat amid rift over blacklisting IRGC

Buenos Aires accuses Tehran of making ‘offensive’ accusations against Argentina after it labeled IRGC as ‘terror’ group.Argentina has issued an order expelling Iran’s charge d’affaires in Buenos Aires, Mohsen Tehrani, declaring him persona non grata amid escalating tensions between the two countries.The Argentina" class="entity-link entity-organization" data-entity-id="92663" data-entity-type="organization">Foreign Ministry of Argentina said on Thursday that the decision was in response to an earlier Iranian statement that rejected Buenos Aires’s designation of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a “terrorist” group.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3UK-led coalition of 40 countries vows action on Hormuz Strait closurelist 2 of 3Can Starmer’s 40-nation coalition open the Strait of Hormuz?list 3 of 3Can the US seize Iran’s enriched uranium – and what are the risks?end of listThe ministry said the Iranian response contained “false, offensive and unfounded accusations against the Argentinian Republic and its highest authorities”.“These statements constitute unacceptable interference in our country’s internal affairs and a deliberate misrepresentation of decisions adopted in accordance with international law and national law,” it added.Iran’s Foreign Ministry had condemned the move against the IRGC, calling it an “action against Iran’s security and national interests”.Tehran said Argentina’s decision was made “under the influence of inducements and pressures from the genocidal and occupying Zionist regime”, referring to Israel.It added that the move blacklisting the IRGC, which is part of the Iranian military, “not only inflicts serious damage on bilateral relations between Argentina and Iran but also creates a dangerous precedent in intergovernmental relations”.The US labelled the IRGC as a “terrorist” group in 2019, a move that was followed by several other countries. The European Union also balcklisted the military organisation in January.Argentina has taken staunchly pro-Israel positions under right-wing President Javier Milei, who recently described himself as “the most Zionist president in the world”.