Iran's Foreign Ministry Describes Ontario Court Ruling as 'Unacceptable'

The spokesperson for Iran's Foreign Ministry described a Canadian court ruling against the Islamic Republic as 'rejected', 'unacceptable', and 'contrary to basic principles' of international law regarding the judicial immunity of states and their assets. Recently, a court in Ontario, Canada, ordered the Iranian government to pay legal fees to plaintiffs who have accused the Islamic Republic of 'supporting terrorism'. The court has given Iran one month to pay the amount of $300,000. According to IRNA, Bahram Qasemi stated on Sunday, February 19, that the Canadian judge issued this ruling 'without regard to international regulations and the principle of equality of states', and that the ruling is 'rejected' by Iran. Mr. Qasemi noted that Iran had previously expressed its formal objection on this matter 'through relevant channels' to the Canadian government and reserves its right to 'pursue political and legal actions in this regard'. In June, another court in Ontario had ruled against the arguments of Iran's defense lawyers, ordering that $13 million from Iran's non-diplomatic assets in Canada be paid as compensation to the families of American victims of hostage-taking and attacks in Argentina, Israel, Lebanon, and Saudi Arabia between 1983 and 2002. This ruling faced objections from Iran at the time. This ruling came two months after a U.S. Supreme Court decision mandated the payment of $2 billion from Iran's frozen assets to the families of American victims of the 1983 bombing of the U.S. Marine barracks in Beirut and other attacks related to Iran. Relations between Canada and Iran, which soured in 2003 following the death of Zahra Kazemi, an Iranian-Canadian photographer in Evin prison, have significantly deteriorated in recent years, particularly during the conservative government in Canada, which ultimately labeled Iran as 'the greatest threat to global security' and unexpectedly closed its embassy in Tehran in 2012. However, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau mentioned last year that he expects diplomatic contacts with Iran to be established, although he has some reservations in this regard. In addition to the new Canadian Prime Minister, Ali Ehsassi and Majid Jowhari, two Iranian-Canadian citizens who were elected to Parliament, also expressed hope that the embassies of the two countries would be reopened. The results of the Canadian elections were welcomed by the Iranian Foreign Ministry, and Ali Larijani, the Speaker of the Iranian Parliament, emphasized that Tehran has 'no significant disagreements' with Canada and that discussions should take place regarding bilateral relations to clarify some ambiguities. Reacting to a proposed resolution against Iran, the spokesperson for Iran's Foreign Ministry condemned the human rights resolution presented by Western countries, including Sweden, and stated that this matter is unrelated to the Swedish Prime Minister's visit to Iran. Mr. Qasemi noted that for about seven years, several Western countries, including Sweden, have annually submitted a draft resolution against the Islamic Republic in the Human Rights Council in Geneva, and the Human Rights Council extends the mandate of the special rapporteur on the human rights situation in Iran every year. He also urged domestic media to respond to this resolution based on accurate data and information grounded in reality. The Kayhan newspaper described the outcome of the Swedish Prime Minister's visit to Tehran as an anti-Islamic Republic human rights resolution. The Swedish Prime Minister visited Tehran last week with a large business delegation and met with the Supreme Leader and the President of Iran, who described Sweden as 'a well-regarded country in the eyes of the Iranian people' and called for the development of cooperation.