Public Security Minister Mario Zamora announced Wednesday that Costa Rica has officially designated four Middle Eastern groups as terrorist organizations.

The announcement followed a Cabinet meeting led by President Rodrigo Chaves Robles at the Presidential House in San José.

According to Zamora, the National Public Security Council ratified the designation of the following groups:

• The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), also known as the Iranian Revolutionary Guards, is based in Tehran, Iran.

• Hezbollah is a Lebanese Shiite Islamist political party based in Beirut, Lebanon.

• Hamas, formally known as the Islamic Resistance Movement, is a Sunni Islamist Palestinian nationalist organization with a military wing called the al-Qassam Brigades, based in Gaza City, Gaza Strip.

• The Houthis, also known as Ansar Allah, are an Islamist political and military organization based in Sanaa, Yemen.

Zamora said the move was taken “in response to recent threats in the country.”

He added that Costa Rica aims to anticipate potential risks and prevent individuals or networks linked to these groups from entering Costa Rica.

The designation allows authorities to implement a range of protective measures, including strengthening immigration and border controls to more quickly identify individuals suspected of ties to terrorist organizations.

It also enables stricter monitoring of financial activity involving individuals suspected of being connected to or affiliated with such groups.

Additionally, authorities will intensify investigations within the national banking system to detect the movement of funds that may be linked to these organizations.

Costa Rica’s actions come amid rising tensions between the United States, Israel and countries in the Middle East.

In March, Costa Rica condemned strikes by the Iranian regime against U.S. interests in several Arab nations, including Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait and Jordan.

In February, Costa Rica advised its citizens to avoid travel to the Middle East because of escalating conflicts and deteriorating security conditions across the region.

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