Costa Rica Designates Revolutionary Guard, Hamas, and Houthis as 'Terrorist Organizations'

SadaNews - The government of Costa Rica, an ally of U.S. President Donald Trump, has designated Iran's Revolutionary Guard and Hamas as "terrorist organizations".

Public Security Minister Mario Zamora stated that this measure, which also targets the Houthis in Yemen, aims to enhance immigration controls to protect the country from organizations that "represent a threat to international security".

Zamora added: "From now on, Costa Rican security forces will work with their international partners to reinforce our country's security measures to combat the movements of potential members of these groups operating in the Western Hemisphere".

Thus, Costa Rica is following in the footsteps of Argentine President Javier Milei's government, another ally of Trump, who declared the Revolutionary Guard a terrorist organization on March 31.

Costa Rican President Rodrigo Chavez has strengthened relations with Trump by integrating his country into the "Shield of the Americas", a coalition of Latin American countries allied with the Republican president to militarily combat drug trafficking.

An internal memo from the U.S. State Department, which Reuters reviewed last month, revealed that the Trump administration asked American diplomats abroad to encourage allies to classify the Revolutionary Guard and Lebanon's Hezbollah as terrorist organizations.

These instructions, dated March 16 and signed by U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, were sent to all U.S. diplomatic and consular missions worldwide.

The memo requests that American diplomats convey the message to their counterparts "at the highest appropriate level" by no later than March 20, adding that efforts to push for the two groups to be blacklisted should be coordinated with Israeli counterparts.

One discussion point in the memo stated, "With the rising threat of attacks from Iran and its partners and proxies, all governments must act swiftly to reduce Iran's capabilities and those of the terrorist groups allied with it to attack our countries and citizens".

While the memo does not provide specifics on the increasing risks, it cites examples of how Tehran has attacked its neighbors in the Middle East and urges joint action.

The memo states, "Our assessment is that the Iranian regime is more sensitive to collective actions compared to unilateral actions, and the likelihood that joint pressure will compel the regime to change its approach is greater compared to unilateral actions alone".

The memo suggests that this designation would increase pressure on Iran and limit its ability to "sponsor terrorist activities" worldwide.