Tehran, Sept. 18 -- Iran has strongly condemned Ecuador's recent decision to classify its armed forces, including the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), as terrorist organizations, calling the move "unjustified" and influenced by external pressures. Zahra Ershadi, Assistant Minister and Director General for the Americas at Iran's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, described Ecuador's action as contrary to international law and a serious blow to Ecuador-Iran relations.

Ershadi emphasized that the labeling, aligned with the United States' longstanding designation of the IRGC as a foreign terrorist organization, undermines the sovereignty of Iran and sets a "dangerous precedent in intergovernmental relations." She added that the IRGC's leg...