Iranian-Canadian MP Calls for Restoration of Relations with Tehran

Majid Jowhari, a Liberal Party representative in the Canadian Parliament, has called for the restoration of diplomatic relations between Ottawa and Tehran and the reopening of embassies in both countries. The "Canadian Iranian Congress" has also recently made a similar request. According to Canada's CBC network, Mr. Jowhari, who is a member of Justin Trudeau's party, stated on September 15 that "our government's position is that severing relations with Iran has no positive outcome for anyone, neither for Canadians, nor for the people of Iran, nor for Canada's allies, nor for global security." The previous Canadian government, led by Conservative Prime Minister Stephen Harper, severed diplomatic relations with Iran in 2012 and closed its embassy in Tehran, citing global security issues, Iran's nuclear activities, and hostility towards Israel as reasons for the cut. Since then, changes have occurred in both countries; with Hassan Rouhani coming to power, Tehran reached an agreement with six world powers to limit its nuclear activities and lift sanctions. Power in Canada also shifted from Conservatives to Liberals. However, the imprisonment of Canadian citizens in Iran remains a political challenge between Tehran and Ottawa; Homa Hoodfar, an Iranian-Canadian professor, has been detained in Iran and was recently transferred to a hospital due to health issues. Some analysts believe there are also internal obstacles in Iran to prevent the restoration of relations. Majid Jowhari stated on Wednesday that severing relations "is detrimental to the people of both countries." Meanwhile, the Canadian Iranian Congress, a non-governmental organization in Canada, has also called for the restoration of relations in a letter to Parliament. Bijan Ahmadi, the Secretary-General of this Congress, stated that since the severing of relations, Canada has been unable to communicate with Iran: "Now Canada must rely on the help of other countries, in this case Italy, to establish relations with Tehran." According to Mr. Ahmadi, this is "not a good policy" and Ottawa should be able to engage directly with Iran to support citizens' rights. The Canadian government announced last February, following the nuclear agreement, that it would lift some sanctions against Iran, including comprehensive sanctions on financial services and imports and exports. The country still has "concerns" and has stated that it will maintain restrictions on the export of sensitive goods and technologies for security reasons. At the same time, the Canadian government says it has considerations regarding the re-establishment of relations with Iran.