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Canada closed its embassy in Tehran, and expelled all Iranian diplomats from its own borders on Friday.
“Canada has closed its embassy in Iran, effective immediately, and declared personae non gratae all remaining Iranian diplomats in Canada,” said Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird. “Canada’s position on the regime in Iran is well known. Canada views the Government of Iran as the most significant threat to global peace and security in the world.”
Baird listed reasons for severing ties, saying “the Iranian regime is proving increasing military assistance to the Assad regime; it refuses to comply with UN resolutions pertaining to its nuclear program; it routinely threatens the existence of Israel.”
“Diplomatic relations between Canada and Iran have been suspended. All Canadian diplomatic staff have left Iran, and Iranian diplomats in Ottawa have been instructed to leave within five days.”
The statement also criticised the Islamic republic for violating the Vienna Convention, which guarantees the protection of diplomatic personnel, in reference to the storming and ransacking of the British embassy last November.
High-ranking Iranian officials in return labelled the Canadian government “racist”.
“The hostile attitude of the incumbent racist Canadian government, in fact, happen in compliance with the policies that are dictated by the Zionists and the British government,” said Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Ramin Mehman-Parast on Friday, according to the semi-official Fars News Agency.
Member of parliament Mohammad Saleh Jokar downplayed the development. “It is good that Canada has closed its embassy in Tehran because it had no diplomatic cooperation with us when it was active,” he said according to FNA.
The war of words between the two countries occurred on the same day that European Union leaders called for tougher sanctions on Iran at a meeting in Cyprus. “Sanctions are necessary and soon. I can’t see there is really a constructive will on the Iranian side for substantial talks,” German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle told Reuters. “If they will not come back to the table, then probably the next round is necessary. This is not something for next year, we are talking about weeks.” The EU leaders expressed concern over Iran’s nuclear programme in the face of escalating tensions between it and Israel.
The EU and the United States have drastically increased sanctions on Iran. In a state television interview last Tuesday President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad called the sanctions an “all-out, hidden, heavy war.” He also conceded that the sanctions have created obstacles for the Iranian economy through its restrictions on its oil and banking sectors.
