Australian Iranian Community Calls for Designation of IRGC

The Australian Iranian Community Alliance (AICA) has called on the Australian government to designate the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a terrorist organization.

The appeal, addressed to Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, Foreign Minister Penny Wong, and Attorney General Mark Dreyfus, was published on Tuesday, in the wake of Canada's recent designation.

AICA, which consists of 26 organizations and groups in Australia, made the call in response to a letter from the Australia-Iran Friendship Association that protested Canada's designation of the IRGC as a terrorist organization.

The AICA said the group is a supporter of the IRGC and the Islamic Republic and urged the Australian government to recognize the true nature of the IRGC and align with international allies to take a firm stance against activities that threaten global security.

The US designated the IRGC in 2019 and last year, the UK said Iran was among the country's number one foreign threats, though has not yet designated the group, in spite of calls from lawmakers.

In their letter of appeal, the AICA stated, "We write to express deep concerns regarding assertions recently made in an open letter that argues against the designation of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a terrorist organization. This letter underplays the documented history and ongoing actions of the IRGC that unequivocally undermine global peace and security."

Dozens of plots against Iranian dissidents and Jewish and Israeli targets have been unveiled in the last two years, hatched by the IRGC, in countries spanning the globe.

AICA highlighted the IRGC's involvement in international terrorism, including bombings, rocket attacks on bases in Iraq, and the downing of civilian airliner PS752. They criticized the claim that the designation would serve foreign agendas, noting that many countries, including the European Union and the United States, have recognized parts or all of the IRGC as a terrorist entity.

Individuals such as dissident journalist Mahsi Alinejad and members of Iran International's news team have also been targets of plots to kill and abduct Iranians abroad.

The letter also condemned the friendship group's suggestion that such a designation would impact votes within Muslim constituencies in Australia, describing it as a manipulative tactic resembling hostage diplomacy.

The AICA asserted that Australian policy should be guided by facts and a commitment to national and international security, rather than speculative electoral implications.

The Australian Department of Foreign Affairs on Friday told Iran International that the current framework within Australia's Criminal Code does not allow for the listing of the IRGC as a terrorist organization. Several states claim that as a state body, designation is legally fraught.

However, they noted that the government has imposed targeted financial sanctions on more than 80 IRGC-linked individuals and entities since Iran's violent suppression of protests in September 2022.