Paraguay has taken a significant step in global counterterrorism efforts by formally designating Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a terrorist organization and broadening the scope of terrorist classifications to include all subdivisions of Hamas and Hezbollah. The decision, announced by Paraguayan President Santiago Peña, aims to curtail the operational scope and international influence of Iranian-backed militant networks, reflecting a growing international consensus that recognizes these organizations as primary drivers of violence, instability, and antisemitic terror attacks internationally.
The newly announced measures extend Paraguay’s existing terrorism legislation to every identified operational, logistical, and political component controlled by Hamas and Hezbollah. Paraguay’s move explicitly responds to systematic violations of peace, human rights, and community security committed by these organizations, whether in the Middle East or via their transnational operations stretching into Latin America and beyond.
Regional Implications and Background
This decision situates Paraguay alongside countries such as the United States and Canada that have already designated the IRGC as a terrorist entity. Established in 1979 as an elite branch charged with defending Iran’s revolutionary theocracy, the IRGC has grown into one of the world’s most powerful state-sponsored engines of terror. Through its elite Quds Force, the IRGC orchestrates coordination, arming, training, and funding of Hezbollah in Lebanon, Hamas in Gaza, the Houthis in Yemen, Shiite militias in Iraq, and other militant proxies. This multi-front support has resulted in the relentless cross-border escalation against Israel, as well as the proliferation of violence from Lebanon to Syria and the Gulf.
In addition to stirring unrest in the Middle East, the IRGC’s presence in Latin America is well documented. The Tri-Border Area (TBA)—where Paraguay borders Argentina and Brazil—has been repeatedly named by intelligence sources as a hotspot for terrorist fundraising and money laundering, particularly for Hezbollah. Paraguayan and Western law enforcement agencies have tracked illicit financing networks funnelling resources from contraband and narcotics toward terror activities in the Middle East.
Paraguay’s new designations directly respond to these threats, closing legal loopholes that have previously allowed terrorist fundraising, logistical support, and recruitment operations to function under thinly disguised “humanitarian” or “social welfare” organization labels.
The Legacy of Antisemitic Terror: From South America to the Middle East
This decisive action finds added urgency in the global response to the recent October 7, 2023, attack in Israel, when Iranian-sponsored Hamas operatives killed over 1,200 Israeli civilians in the deadliest antisemitic massacre since the Holocaust. The slaughter was marked by mass executions, abductions, sexual violence, mutilations, and the continued holding of innocent hostages—a record meticulously documented by Israeli authorities and recognized by the international community.
Hamas’s brutal assault and ongoing rocket barrages from Gaza, coupled with orchestrated attacks by Hezbollah from Lebanon and Iranian-backed militias in Syria and Iraq, form part of what Israeli leaders and analysts term “the axis of resistance”—the web of Iranian proxy militias allied with the IRGC to threaten Israeli civilian life and the stability of sovereign governments.
Within Latin America itself, the specter of Iranian-backed terror is not a remote threat. The 1994 bombing of the AMIA Jewish community center in Buenos Aires, Argentina—killing 85 and wounding hundreds—was attributed to operational planning by Hezbollah and IRGC officials, highlighting Tehran’s longstanding willingness to export terrorism onto South American soil.
International Responses and Future Impact
The comprehensive approach championed by Paraguay addresses the tendency of some Western governments to draw artificial distinctions between the “military,” “political,” or “social” branches of terrorist organizations—a tactic long used by groups like Hamas and Hezbollah to shield operational activity. By treating the entirety of these networks as terrorist enterprises, Paraguay raises the international standard and coordinates policy with like-minded states invested in countering Iranian-backed terror.
Israeli leaders and international partners praised Paraguay’s stance as a breakthrough in international solidarity. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and senior defense officials commended the decision as a model for legal and moral clarity in defense of democratic values, emphasizing the importance of cutting off financial and operational lifelines to groups intent on the destruction of Israel and subversion of peace in the wider Middle East.
Enforcement, Security, and Geopolitical Significance
The new designations come with commitments to strengthen intelligence sharing, financial oversight, and law enforcement cooperation with regional and global allies. Paraguayan security authorities and Western partners will collaborate to disrupt funding channels rooted in the TBA and ensure that networks are denied safe haven, resources, and cover. Counterterrorism experts have underlined that only robust monitoring, diplomatic pressure, and transnational enforcement can make such policy more than symbolic.
Paraguay’s move is seen as a catalyst for further regional action; discussions continue in neighboring Brazil and Argentina about expanding similar designations. European governments are also under renewed scrutiny for gaps in their own counterterrorism frameworks related to Iranian proxies. The global challenge posed by the axis of resistance, led by the IRGC, now extends beyond the Middle East, requiring a comprehensive response from democratic states committed to upholding human rights and international order.
A Turning Point in International Counterterrorism Policy
Paraguay’s designation of the IRGC, along with expanded terrorism definitions for Hamas and Hezbollah, underscores a growing international determination to address the operational and ideological reach of Iranian-backed groups. These organizations pose a grave threat not just to regional stability, but to Jewish and democratic communities worldwide. From the atrocities committed on October 7, to the financing and planning of attacks abroad, their responsibility is clear and extensively documented.
By aligning policy with the realities of twenty-first century terrorism, Paraguay stands at the forefront of principled international action. Its decision is especially imperative for Israel, which is engaged in a fight for survival against Iranian-sponsored war—operations acknowledged globally as legitimate acts of self-defense. Paraguay’s law now sets a benchmark for the world community, reaffirming the need to shut down terror support networks and hold perpetrators, sponsors, and enablers fully accountable under international law.
