Argentina has expelled Iran’s top diplomat in Buenos Aires, declaring chargé d’affaires Mohsen Soltani Tehrani persona non grata and ordering him to leave the country within 48 hours, the Foreign Ministry announced on Thursday.
The Foreign Ministry of Argentina said on Thursday that the decision was in response to an earlier Iranian statement that rejected Buenos Aires’s designation of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a “terrorist” group. The ministry said the Iranian response contained “false, offensive and unfounded accusations against the Argentinian Republic and its highest authorities.”
The diplomatic expulsion represents the latest escalation in deteriorating relations between Argentina and Iran under President Javier Milei, who has positioned his administration as one of Tehran’s most vocal critics in Latin America.
IRGC Designation Triggers Diplomatic Crisis
Argentine officials said the decision follows the formal classification of the IRGC as a terrorist entity, a move that places the group on Argentina’s national registry of persons and organizations linked to terrorism and its financing.
“These statements constitute unacceptable interference in our country’s internal affairs and a deliberate misrepresentation of decisions adopted in accordance with international law and national law,” Iran’s Foreign Ministry said of the move, calling it an “action against Iran’s security and national interests.”
Tehran said Argentina's decision was made “under the influence of inducements” from foreign powers — a veiled reference to Washington.
Under international diplomatic rules, the declaration requires the diplomat to depart Argentine territory within two days. The Argentine government said its decision was taken under Article 9 of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations of 1961, which allows a host country to expel a foreign diplomat without providing a detailed justification.
Historical Grievances Drive Policy
The diplomatic rupture stems from Argentina’s long-standing accusations that Iran orchestrated two devastating terrorist attacks on Argentine soil in the 1990s — the 1992 bombing of the Israeli Embassy in Buenos Aires and the 1994 attack on the AMIA Jewish community centre that killed 85 people and wounded over 300.
In 2024, an Argentinian court ruled that Iran was responsible for the 1994 bombing of a Jewish centre in Buenos Aires that killed dozens of people. Iran has denied its involvement in the attack, noting the several controversies and allegations of cover-up that plagued the decades-long investigation.
Argentine courts have accused senior Iranian officials of involvement in planning the bombing, an allegation Iran has consistently denied. The Foreign Ministry said Iran’s continued refusal to cooperate with Argentina’s judiciary in the AMIA investigation remains a serious concern. It also criticized Iran for ignoring international arrest and extradition requests issued against individuals wanted by Argentine justice in connection with the attack.
Milei’s Pro-Western Realignment
The expulsion reflects President Milei’s dramatic foreign policy realignment since taking office in December 2023. Argentina has taken staunchly pro-Israel positions under populist right-wing President Javier Milei, who recently described himself as “the most Zionist president in the world.”
Milei has also aligned himself with the administration of President Donald Trump in the United States, which provided the Argentine government an equity swap worth $20 billion last year. The Argentine government has since fully repaid the debt.
Earlier this year, Milei made his position on Iran unambiguous during a speech at New York’s Yeshiva University. “Iran is our enemy. I do not like Iran. They planted two bombs on us: one at AMIA and another at the Israeli Embassy.”
On June 20, 2025, while giving an interview, Milei stated that Iran is an enemy of Argentina. Milei also celebrated Israeli strikes on Iran, stating that “today is a great day for Western civilization.”
Other Designations
The Milei government also designated the Sunni Islamist Muslim Brotherhood as a terrorist organization in January, joining a list of nations that include the United States, Israel, Paraguay, the United Arab Emirates, and Egypt. The designation formally enables Argentine authorities to impose financial sanctions and restrict activities connected to the group within the country.
Regional and International Implications
Israel had praised Buenos Aires’s designation of the IRGC as a “terrorist” group, saying that it “places Argentina, under his leadership, at the forefront of the free world in the fight against the Iranian regime of terror and its proxies.”
The expulsion of Iran’s envoy significantly downgrades diplomatic relations between the two countries and underscores Buenos Aires’ alignment with Israel and the United States on Iran-related security issues.
The expulsion comes at a time of growing alignment between Argentina and the United States under President Javier Milei, whose government has adopted a tougher stance on Iran and strengthened ties with Western allies.
Iranian Response and Future Relations
Tehran has condemned Argentina’s recent moves, with Iranian state media warning that Milei had crossed “an unforgivable red line” through his anti-Iran rhetoric.
“Iran cannot remain indifferent to the hostile positions of the current Argentine government. It will have to design a proportionate response to this enmity. Argentina has officially presented itself as an enemy of Iran and has aligned itself with the United States and the Zionist regime in military aggression against our nation.”
Iran has yet to issue an official response to the latest move. However, it previously criticized Argentina’s decision to blacklist the IRGC, calling it a “strategic mistake” influenced by foreign powers and warning it could damage bilateral ties.
The Iranian embassy in Buenos Aires, led by Soltani Tehrani since December 2021, is expected to operate with reduced capacity following his departure.
Declaring a diplomat persona non grata is the strongest formal action a country can take short of cutting diplomatic ties. The move positions Argentina among the most hostile Latin American nations toward Iran, marking a sharp departure from the region’s traditionally neutral stance on Middle Eastern conflicts.
For Argentina’s large Jewish community, estimated at around 180,000 people, the diplomatic confrontation represents long-awaited accountability efforts following decades of perceived inaction on the AMIA and embassy bombings.
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