New York, 20 June 2024 (dpa/MIA) - Canada on Wednesday classified Iran's powerful Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a terrorist organization.

"This action sends a strong message that Canada will use all of the tools at its disposal to combat the terrorist entity of the IRGC," Canadian Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc told reporters.

"Our government will ensure that there is no immunity for Iran's unlawful actions and its support of terrorism," he continued.

The move means, among other things, that it is now a criminal offence for anyone in Canada to provide financial or material support to the IRGC and that the group's assets in the country are required to be frozen.

Israel's Foreign Minister Israel Katz welcomed the move.

The IRGC, the elite unit of the Iranian armed forces, is tasked with protecting the state ideology and, above all, prevent a coup. The unit has been increasingly under fire for its involvement in repressive measures at home.

A number of EU countries, including Germany, are pushing for the European Union to also classify the IRGC as a terrorist organization.

MIA file photo