Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird cited Iran’s support for the Assad regime in Syria, its disputed nuclear energy program and persistent human rights violations as reasons for Canada’s ejection of Iranian diplomats from Ottawa and the closing of the Canadian Embassy in Tehran.

In an apparent will to ignore the dubious foreign policies of his neighbors to the south, Baird said Canada views Iran as “the most significant threat to global peace and security in the world today.”

— Posted by Alexander Reed Kelly.

The Guardian:

The Iranian regime is providing increasing military assistance to the Assad regime; it refuses to comply with UN resolutions pertaining to its nuclear programme; it routinely threatens the existence of Israel and engages in racist anti-Semitic rhetoric and incitement to genocide,” Baird said in the statement published on Canada’s government website for foreign affairs and international trade.

… “[Iran] is among the world’s worst violators of human rights; and it shelters and materially supports terrorist groups, requiring the government of Canada to formally list Iran as a state sponsor of terrorism under the Justice for Victims of Terrorism Act.

“Moreover, the Iranian regime has shown blatant disregard for the Vienna convention and its guarantee of protection for diplomatic personnel. Under the circumstances, Canada can no longer maintain a diplomatic presence in Iran. Our diplomats serve Canada as civilians, and their safety is our number one priority.”

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#human rights#iran#syria#tehran