Since the Iranian Revolution in 1979, the government of the Islamic Republic of Iran has been accused by several countries of training, financing, and providing weapons and safe havens for non-state militant actors, such as Hezbollah in Lebanon, Houthis in Yemen, Hamas in Gaza, and other Palestinian groups such as the Islamic Jihad (IJ) and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP). These groups are designated terrorist groups by a number of countries and international bodies such as the EU and NATO, but Iran considers such groups to be "national liberation movements" with a right to self-defense against Israeli military occupation. Alt URL Iran's critics say that it uses these groups as political proxies across the Middle East and Europe to foment instability, expand the scope of the Islamic Revolution, and carry out attacks against Western targets in the regions. Its special operations unit, the Quds Force, is known to provide arms, training, and financial support to "militias and political movements" across the Middle East, including Bahrain, Iraq, Lebanon, Palestine, Syria, and Yemen.

A number of countries (Argentina, Albania, Australia, Bulgaria, Denmark, France, India, Kenya, Sweden, Thailand, and the United States) have accused Iran's government and the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps of plotting assassinations or bombings in their countries and others against perceived enemies of Iran. In response, economic sanctions against the Iranian regime have been imposed by many countries and the United Nations. The first sanctions were imposed by the United States in November 1979, after a group of radical students seized the U.S. embassy in Tehran and took hostages. The sanctions were expanded in 1995 to include business dealings with the Iranian government.

Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) After the fall of the Shah in 1979, the Islamic Republic of Iran established the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) to domestically promote the government's social policy. IRGC is accused of spreading its ideology in neighboring regions by training and funding terrorist organizations. By 1986, IRGC had 350,000 members and had a small naval and air force. By 1996, its ground forces numbered 100,000 and the naval forces numbered 20,000. They are believed to use the Quds Force to train Islamist militants.State Sponsors of Terrorism - Overview - United States Department of State - Official Website

In 1995, the Iranian Revolutionary Guard held a conference in Beirut with organizations accused of engaging in terrorism including the Iraqi Da'wah Party, the Islamic Front for the Liberation of Bahrain and Hezbollah for the sole purpose of providing training and weapons to these organizations, to aid in the destabilization of Gulf states, and give assistance to militants in these countries to replace the existing governments with Iran-aligned regimes.

The United States State Department has stated that IRGC provides support for Hamas, Hezbollah and Palestinian Islamic Jihad to fight against Israel, while aiding the Iraqi insurgency in southern Iraq.

Terrorist designation Currently, the IRGC is designated as a terrorist organization by Australia, Bahrain, Canada, European Union, Paraguay, Saudi Arabia, Sweden, Ukraine and the United States. The Quds Force branch of the IRGC is designated as a terrorist organization by most of the aforementioned countries, in addition to Israel.

In 2025, the Australian government accused the IRGC of conducting arson attacks inside Australia in 2024, which prompted the government to expel the Iranian ambassador to Australia Ahmad Sadeghi.

Alleged activities in other countries Albania On 19 December 2018 Albania expelled Iran's ambassador to the country, Gholamhossein Mohammadnia, and another Iranian diplomat for "involvement in activities that harm the country's security", for "violating their diplomatic status and supporting terrorism." The expelled Iranians were alleged to have plotted terrorist attacks in the country, including targeting MEK\PMOI event to silence dissidents.

In July 2022, Iranian state cyber actors—who identified themselves as "HomeLand Justice"—launched a destructive cyber attack against the Albanian government, rendering websites and services unavailable. An FBI investigation indicates Iranian state cyber actors acquired initial access to the Albanian network approximately 14 months before launching the attack. On July 18, HomeLand Justice claimed credit. In September 2022, the same actors launched another wave of Cyberattack against the Albanian infrastructure, using similar malware as the Cyberattack in July. As a result, Albania officially severed diplomatic ties with Iran and ordered Iranian embassy staff to leave the country, citing the cyberattacks.

Argentina

On 18 July 1994, there was an attack on the Argentine Israelite Mutual Association (AMIA) building in Buenos Aires, Argentina, which killed 85 people and injured hundreds. It was Argentina's deadliest bombing ever. Argentina accused Tehran in 2006 of being behind the attacks, and indicted several senior Iranian officials, including Hashemi Rafsanjani and Ahmad Vahidi, as well as Hezbollah's Imad Mughniyah.

The government of President Mauricio Macri revoked a memorandum of understanding that President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner had signed with Iran to pursue justice in joint cooperation. He declared Hezbollah as a terrorist organization in July 2019.

Since taking office in December 2023, President Javier Milei has been a vocal opponent of the Iranian government, accusing the country of the AMIA bombing and the 1992 Buenos Aires Israeli embassy bombing. He celebrated the assassination of Ali Khamenei during the 2026 Iran war and has maintained continuous support for military actions against the Iranian regime throughout the war. Milei also declared the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps a terrorist organization in April 2026.

Australia

In 2024, the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO) stated that the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) at the direction of the Iranian government, organised and carried out at least two terrorist attacks within Australia. The first of the attacks occurred on 20 October 2024, when a group of arsonists led by Australian Sayid Moosawi conducted an attack on Lewis Continental Kitchen, a kosher restaurant in Sydney. The second attack took place on 6 December 2024, when another group of arsonists firebombed the Adass Israel Synagogue in Melbourne, injuring one congregation member and causing property damage. Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO) director Mike Burgess said he believes Iran was also responsible for more anti-Semitic attacks in the country.

On 27 November 2025, the Parliament of Australia formally listed the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as a State Sponsor of Terrorism, under the framework of the Criminal Code Amendment (State Sponsors of Terrorism) Act 2025. The IRGC was the first entity to be designated as such, after the Minister of Home Affairs determined that it met the criteria specified in Division 110 of the code, thereby following the recommendations of Australian Government intelligence, security and policy agencies. According to the listing, it is "illegal to direct the activities of, be a member of, associate with members of, recruit for, train with, get funds to, from or for, or provide support to, the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corp", with a penalty of 25 years of imprisonment.

Bahrain On 30 September 2015, Bahraini security forces discovered a large bomb-making factory in Nuwaidrat and arrested a number of suspects linked to the Iranian Revolutionary Guards. The next day, 1 October, Bahrain recalled its ambassador to Iran and asked the Iranian acting charge d’affaires to leave the kingdom within 72 hours after he was declared persona non-grata. Bahrain's decision to recall its ambassador came "in light of continued Iranian meddling in the affairs of the kingdom of Bahrain in order to create sectarian strife and to impose hegemony and control.Bahrain withdraws ambassador from Iran . The Daily Star. Retrieved 2015-10-03.Bahrain withdraws ambassador from Tehran . Gulf News. Retrieved 2015-10-03.

On 6 January 2016, Bahrain said it had dismantled a terrorist cell allegedly linked to the Revolutionary Guards and Hezbollah. The Bahraini interior ministry said the cell was planning to carry out a “series of dangerous bombings” on the kingdom, and that many members were arrested including the group's leaders, 33-year-old twins Ali and Mohammed Fakhrawi.Bahrain smashes ‘Iran-linked’ terror cell . The National. Retrieved 2016-01-07.

Denmark In October 2018, Denmark said the Iranian government intelligence service had tried to carry out a plot to assassinate an Iranian Arab opposition figure on its soil. The planned assassination was of an exiled leader of the Arab Struggle Movement for the Liberation of Ahvaz (ASMLA). Sweden extradited a Norwegian national of Iranian background to Denmark in connection with the foiled plot against the ASMLA leader. In February 2020 Denmark arrested three leading members of an (ASMLA) group on suspicion of spying for Saudi Arabia and for supporting an attack in Iran in 2018.

France

In October 2018 France froze Iranian financial assets in response to an alleged bomb plot to be carried out against an opposition group at a rally in Paris. The plot was said to be against the National Council of Resistance of Iran, which styles itself as Iran's government-in-exile. Assadollah Assadi, an Iranian diplomat in the Vienna embassy, was arrested in Germany in connection with the alleged plot to blow up a meeting of Iranian dissidents in Paris in June.

The rally was attended by an estimated 100,000 Iranians and hundreds of international dignitaries. A British Member of Parliament who attended said "Had the plot succeeded, it would have been the deadliest terror operation ever carried out in Europe. The US would undeniably have declared war on Iran – and it was only because the plot was foiled, world war three was averted." Belgian police had been informed of a possible attack on the rally, and found 550g (1lb 3oz) of explosive and a detonator in the car of Amir Saadouni and Nasimeh Naami. Saadouni, Naami, Assadi (believed to be the mastermind), and another Iranian went on trial in Antwerp on 27 November 2020. Court documents allege that Assadi was ordered by Iranian authorities to smuggle the explosives into Europe on a commercial flight, and give them to Saadouni and Naami, who were arrested two days later.

In February 2021 Belgian court in Antwerp sentenced Assadollah Assadi to 20-year jail term for this bomb plot. Amir Saadouni and Nasimeh Naami and a fourth man, Belgian-Iranian poet Merhad Arefani, who was arrested in Paris and accused of being an accomplice, were convicted of taking part in the plot and given jail terms of 15 to 18 years.

India In July 2012, The Times of India reported that New Delhi police had concluded that terrorists belonging to a branch of Iran's military, the Iranian Revolutionary Guards, were responsible for an attack on 13 February 2012, during which a bomb explosion targeted an Israeli diplomat in New Delhi, India, wounding one embassy staff member, a local employee, and two passers-by. According to the report, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps may have planned other attacks on Israeli targets around the world as well.

Israel and Palestinian Territories Iran does not recognize Israel as a state, and provides support for Hamas, Hezbollah and Palestinian Islamic Jihad.Mathieu Guidère, Historical Dictionary of Islamic Fundamentalism, Scarecrow Press, 2012 p.173.

Hamas