In a statement issued on Saturday, the General Staff of the Armed Forces said Ecuador’s decree was an “unreasonable and unlawful” act of servitude to “the hegemonic system led by terrorism-breeding America and the fake, rootless Zionist regime.”
The statement warned that such decisions only expand “wickedness and insecurity” across the world, emboldening the Israeli regime in its “genocide against Gaza and Palestine and even other countries of the region.”
The Armed Forces stressed that Iran will continue to stand firmly by the people of Palestine and Lebanon, “especially the defenseless people of Gaza,” pledging to defend their rights in the face of aggression. The statement also urged Ecuador to respect international and humanitarian law rather than assisting the “false and satanic front” of the US and Israel.
The statement came after Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa signed an executive decree on September 16, designating Hamas, Hezbollah, and the IRGC as “terrorist” organizations.
The decree alleged that the three groups pose a direct threat to the sovereignty, public safety, and integrity of Ecuador.
The decree was effected after US Secretary of State Marco Rubio traveled to Ecuador to meet with Noboa on September 4. Israeli foreign minister Gideon Sa’ar has welcomed the decree, calling it a “brave decision”.