The government of Argentina declared Iranian chargé d’affaires Mohsen Soltani Tehrani persona non grata Thursday and gave him 48 hours to leave the country.
In an official statement, the Argentine Foreign Ministry explained that it is expelling Soltani in response to the “false, offensive, and inappropriate” accusations levied by the Iranian regime against Argentina and its government after President Javier Milei designated the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) a terrorist organization this week — a decision welcomed and applauded by the United States.
President Milei, a staunch supporter of the United States and Israel, has maintained a hardline stance on the rogue Iranian Islamic regime and, in March, declared Iran an “enemy” of Argentina during a speech at Yeshiva University in Manhattan. Argentina holds Iran and its proxy terror group Hezbollah responsible for two terrorist attacks against Jewish targets in Buenos Aires: the 1992 bombing of the Israeli embassy and the 1994 bombing of the Argentine-Israeli Mutual Association (AMIA).
The Argentine presidency reiterated in its IRGC terrorist designation that local investigations determined the direct participation of top members of the corps in both attacks and that Ahmad Vahidi, who is currently presumed to be the IRGC chief, is actively wanted by Argentine authorities.
The Iranian regime, through its embassy in Montevideo, Uruguay, responded Wednesday to Milei designating the IRGC as a terrorist organization by condemning the decision as “illegal and unjustified” and an “unforgivable offense to the Iranian people,” according to the outlet Infobae.
Infobae also noted that the Iranian regime claimed that the designation generates an “international responsibility for the Argentine State.”
The Argentine government responded to the threats by ordering chargé d’affaires Tehrani to leave Argentina.
“Such statements constitute unacceptable interference in our country’s internal affairs and a deliberate misrepresentation of decisions adopted in accordance with international law and the national legal system,” the Argentine Foreign Ministry said.
“This latest offensive act comes on top of the Islamic Republic of Iran’s persistent refusal to cooperate with the Argentine justice system in the investigation of the AMIA bombing, as well as its repeated failure to comply with international arrest and extradition warrants for those responsible,” the Ministry continued, and added that the designation of individuals wanted by Argentine justice in high-ranking positions at the IRC is “particularly serious.”
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar welcomed Argentina’s decision to expel Tehrani in a social media post, thanking his Argentine counterpart Pablo Quirno for the “courageous and inspiring” decision.
“Argentina, under the leadership of president Javier Milei, stands as a model for defending the values of freedom and leading the fight against terrorism,” Sa’ar said. “The Iranian regime is murderous toward its own citizens and its neighbors; it is the number one threat to global order and security. It is not legitimate. Period.”
Days after Milei’s participation at Yeshiva University, Iranian state media directly accused the Argentine president of “crossing an unforgivable red line” for declaring the Middle Eastern nation an enemy in response to its involvement in the two 1990s terrorist attacks in Buenos Aires. In a piece published by the state-affiliated Tehran Times, Milei and his government were accused of turning Argentina into an “instrument at the hands of the Zionist regime and the United States” to advance in a purported more than 30-year-old “Iranophobia project” against Iran.
Infobae reported on Friday that, after the anti-Milei piece was published, the Argentine government elevated its security level to its “highest” and immediately implemented a special protocol to safeguard sensitive targets in the country. Additionally, the Argentine government deployed a permanent security coverage service for the Jewish community in the country, the AMIA building, and the U.S. and Israeli embassies. According to Infobae, the security alert remains active as of Friday, April 3.
Uruguayan Senator Javier García told Infobae that he has called upon Uruguay’s leftist President Yamandú Orsi to protest Iran’s usage of its embassy to threaten Argentina.
“Using our country to attack Argentina — a neighbor and member of Mercosur — was a political decision by Iran that undoubtedly had its reasons. But it deserves to be officially condemned by our Foreign Ministry,” García said. “Argentina has suffered too much from terrorism and death linked to Iranian support to forget this and let it pass in silence.”
“There is a sense of solidarity and remembrance that reminds us of the significance of the attacks Argentina suffered — the AMIA bombing, the attack on the Israeli embassy — and the proven ties between Iran and Hezbollah, isn’t that right?” He continued. “So, the fact that Uruguay has been used as a platform to attack and offend Argentina is a significant geopolitical development, and for us, from our perspective as Uruguayans, it cannot go unnoticed.”
Infobae pointed out that Iranian chargé d’affaires Tehrani presented his diplomatic credentials in Argentina in 2021 during the administration of socialist former President Alberto Fernández. Argentina’s envoy to Tehran, Jorge Mariano Jordan, reportedly has been operating from Baku, Azerbaijan, since June 2025, when the Argentine government ordered the evacuation of its diplomatic personnel stationed in Iran.
Christian K. Caruzo is a Venezuelan writer and documents life under socialism. You can follow him on Twitter here.
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