The Canadian government has included the Iranian Revolutionary Guard on the list of terrorist organizations, in a move that coincides with escalating tensions between the two countries and increasing calls for Canadian citizens to leave Iran.

Canadian Minister of Public Security, Dominique LeBlanc, said that this decision comes as a result of the Iranian regime’s support for terrorism and ongoing human rights violations. The decision strengthens Ottawa's pressure on Tehran and focuses legal and diplomatic efforts to isolate the Revolutionary Guard on the international stage.

Minister of Public Security, Dominique LeBlanc, confirmed in a press conference, surrounded by the Canadian Ministers of Foreign Affairs and Justice, that this decision came as a result of the Iranian regime’s support for terrorism and its continued display of disregard for human rights inside and outside Iran, in addition to its willingness to destabilize the law-based international order.

For her part, Canadian Foreign Minister Mélanie Jolie noted that Ottawa has severed diplomatic relations with Tehran since 2012, and advised Canadians to avoid traveling to Iran, adding: “For those in Iran now, it is time to return home.”

This decision could allow Canada to freeze the assets of Revolutionary Guard members and prosecute them in court, in addition to prohibiting all financial transactions with them.