Iran condemned Canada’s listing of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as a terrorist organization as “an unwise and unconventional politically-motivated step,” Foreign Ministry spokesperson Nasser Kanaani was quoted as saying by the semi-official Fars news agency on Thursday.

“Canada’s action will not have any effect on the Revolutionary Guards’ legitimate and deterrent power,” Kanaani said, adding that Tehran reserves the right to respond accordingly to the listing.

On Wednesday, Ottawa listed the Revolutionary Guards as a terrorist organization, a step that could lead to the investigation of former senior Iranian officials now living in Canada.

The United States took a similar step in 2019 against the Revolutionary Guards, which Western nations accuse of carrying out a global terrorist campaign.

Tehran rejects such claims, saying that the elite force is a sovereign institution responsible for safeguarding national security.