Iran on Thursday slammed the Canadian government’s decision designating the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a terrorist entity, vowing to respond.

“This irresponsible and provocative move is along the wrong path that the Canadian government has taken over the last decade under the influence of war mongers and real violators of human rights and the main founders of terrorism,” Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Nasser Kanani told reporters on Thursday.

“The Islamic Republic of Iran reserves its rights in a proportionate and reciprocal response to this action against international law and against the Iranian nation and government,” Kanani added. 

Kanji’s statement came after Canada on Wednesday announced that they were designating the IRGC as a terrorist entity.

“Based on their actions, there are reasonable grounds to believe that the IRGC has knowingly carried out, attempted to carry out, participated in or facilitated a terrorist activity, or has knowingly acted on behalf of, at the direction of, or in association with an entity that has knowingly carried out terrorist activity,” read a press release from the Canadian ministry of public safety. “Listing the IRGC means that they are a terrorist group.”

Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, Canadian Minister of Public Safety Dominic LeBlanc said that their designation “sends a strong message that Canada will use all of the tools at its disposal to combat the terrorist entity of the IRGC.”

This is not the first time Canada has applied sanctions on Iranian entities.

The Canadian Foreign Ministry in April imposed sanctions on Iran’s Minister of Defense and the General Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces. 

Canada has sanctioned at least 200 individuals and 250 Iranian entities. In 2012, Ottawa designated Iran as a state supporter of terrorism.

The country has imposed 18 rounds of sanctions on “individuals and entities involved in gross and systematic violations of human rights and threats to international peace and security” since October 2022.