Costa Rica labels IRGC, Hezbollah, Hamas, Houthis as terror groups in blow to Iran’s global network

Costa Rica officially designated Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and Tehran’s regional proxies Hezbollah, Hamas and the Houthis as terrorist organizations on Thursday. The Foreign Ministry of Costa Rica wrote on 𝕏 that the designation was made "in accordance with Costa Rica's international commitments in fighting terrorism and its financing."

The IRGC’s elite Quds Force unit and Hezbollah, a Lebanon-based organization, have played a central role in extending the regime’s Islamist revolution across the Middle East as well as to Europe, the Americas, and other regions. The Costa Rican ministry continued that it will "allow intelligence authorities and judicial bodies to strengthen their prevention, investigation, and prosecution capabilities, acting more decisively against any logistical and financial support networks that may be operating within the country to sustain these organizations."

The Foreign Ministry also said it seeks to prevent these extremist organizations from exercising any influence in Costa Rica.

"Likewise, the designation seeks to prevent any form of action or influence by these groups in Costa Rica, safeguarding the security of the population and integrity of our democratic institutions."

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar praised Costa Rica’s decision to place the IRGC and Tehran’s regional proxies on their official terrorist list.

”I applaud President @RodrigoChavesR and the Costa Rican government for their principled leadership in declaring the IRGC, Hezbollah, Hamas, and Ansar Allah (Houthis) as terrorist organizations. This decisive action strengthens the international coalition against Iranian-backed terror and is a vital contribution to security across the Middle East and the Western Hemisphere,” Sa’ar wrote in a post on the social media platform 𝕏.

In January, Sa’ar urged top European Union officials to designate the IRGC as a terrorist organization, telling top EU leaders that the IRGC was leading the repression of citizens, as the ayatollah regime carried out mass killings of civilian protesters in Tehran and other cities.

Several countries have since designated the IRGC as a terrorist organization, including in the period following Israel’s launch of Operation Roaring Lion against Iran on Feb. 28. North Macedonia, Liechtenstein, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Moldova, and Iceland did so on March 20. Iceland’s decision came despite its criticism of Israeli policies in the Middle East. On March 31, Argentina, under President Javier Milei, also formally designated the IRGC as a terrorist organization. Last April, Paraguay designated the IRGC, Hezbollah and Hamas as terrorist groups, a move that was praised by both the United States and Israel.

The IRGC was established in 1979 specifically to protect the ayatollah regime and to advance the Islamic Revolution inside Iran, exporting it worldwide through terrorism and violence. Since its inception, the IRGC has functioned as a rival to the conventional Iranian army known as the Artesh.

The ayatollah regime has reportedly prioritized the IRGC in terms of funding and resources at the expense of the nation's conventional military forces.