Reaction of Rouhani's Minister to Canada's Visa Ban: I Had an 18-Day Tourist Visa

Hassan Ghazizadeh Hashemi, the Minister of Health in Hassan Rouhani's government, recently faced a visa ban from the Canadian government and reacted to this news, stating: "I am sorry for the political and propaganda behavior of the Canadian government minister." According to Iranian news agencies, Ghazizadeh Hashemi mentioned that he had an 18-day trip to Canada with a tourist visa. He stated that all his family members were born in Iran and "proudly live in their country," and none of them have ever held non-Iranian citizenship at any time, nor have they ever applied for residency, either temporary or permanent, in Canada or any other country. He added: "My pride, my family's, and my loved ones' is that in any situation and in every part of our beloved homeland, we have been serving the people in the health sector and alongside them, and we will not exchange this honor for anything else." Hassan Ghazizadeh Hashemi is a specialized eye and cornea surgeon, and after leaving Rouhani's government, he managed his clinic in Oman for some time, and even his advertisements were published in Iranian media. He served as Minister of Health during Rouhani's first term and concluded by expressing regret over the political and propaganda behavior of the Canadian government minister and thanked all compatriots who have shown affection to him during this period, especially the dear and honorable Iranians residing in Canada. Three weeks ago, during the broadcast of a documentary about tourism in Canada, images of Ghazizadeh Hashemi and his family walking on a street in Montreal, Canada, were suddenly aired, which drew protests from Iranians in Canada. Mark Miller, the Minister of Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship of Canada, announced on his social media account on Monday, September 6, that he is preventing the residency of Seyyed Hassan Ghazizadeh Hashemi, the former Minister of Health of the Islamic Republic, in Canada. He stated that Ghazizadeh Hashemi would not be allowed to travel or reside in Canada for at least 36 months. Alongside widespread protests by Iranians in 1401 (2022), Iranians residing in Canada urged their government to expel senior officials of the Islamic Republic and their affiliates from the country. In response to this request, the Canadian government announced in several stages that it had placed a large number of Islamic Republic officials on its economic sanctions list and would also prevent their entry into Canada. The protests were effective; Canada banned the former Minister of Health of the Islamic Republic from entering the country. Reactions to Ghazizadeh's presence in Montreal; Ismailioun called for accountability from Canadian officials.