Iran's Protest Reaction to Canada's Position on the Nuclear Agreement

The spokesperson for Iran's Foreign Ministry expressed "regret" over the Canadian Foreign Ministry's statement regarding the Vienna nuclear agreement, accusing the Canadian government of "following" Israel's positions and stating that this government's approach to Iran "lacks any logical and rational basis." According to the state news agency IRNA, Marzieh Afkham, the Foreign Ministry spokesperson, said on Wednesday evening, July 31: "The continuation of the extreme and radical positions of Canadian officials towards Iran, especially in the current circumstances, shows that the Canadian government's approach to Iran lacks any logical and rational basis." The spokesperson emphasized that, according to her, the Canadian government's "subservience" to Israel's positions regarding the Islamic Republic has led to the "isolation" of this government "in the international community and even among its closest traditional partners." Ms. Afkham urged Canadian officials to welcome the "path of rationality and logic against warmongering and extremism" instead of "unilateralism" and "following" Israel. The Canadian Foreign Ministry, following the Vienna nuclear agreement, issued a statement accusing Iran of supporting terrorism and emphasized that Iran remains a "fundamental threat" to global security and peace. Meanwhile, Robert Nicholson, the Canadian Foreign Minister, had previously stated in reaction to the Vienna nuclear agreement that Iran, due to its "nuclear ambitions, continued support for terrorism, repeated calls for the destruction of Israel, and disregard for human rights, remains a serious threat to international peace and security." Despite the welcome from European countries and some regional countries regarding the Vienna nuclear agreement, some countries have criticized this agreement, including Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who immediately described the agreement as a "historical mistake." Meanwhile, Ashton Carter, the U.S. Secretary of Defense, who traveled to the Middle East to meet with U.S. allies following the comprehensive nuclear agreement with Iran, stated that the King of Saudi Arabia supported this agreement. John Kerry, the U.S. Secretary of State, also stated that the U.S. is helping its allies in the Middle East to defend themselves against any actions supported by Iran. In recent years, relations between Iran and Canada have deteriorated further. In September 2012, the Conservative government of Canada labeled Iran as the "greatest threat to global security," closed its embassy in Tehran, and gave Iranian diplomats in Canada a five-day deadline to leave the country. The murder of Zahra Kazemi, an Iranian-Canadian photographer, in July 2003 was one of the factors that soured relations between Iran and Canada in recent years. Zahra Kazemi was arrested by Iranian security forces while photographing in front of Evin Prison on July 2, 2003, and after several days, she was transferred from Evin Prison to Baqiyatallah Hospital in Tehran, where she died. In this context, Canadian officials have called for an investigation into the role of Saeed Mortazavi, the then Tehran prosecutor, "in the rape, torture, and murder" of Zahra Kazemi.