Tehran Calls for Prevention of Final Approval of Canada's Proposal to Halt Negotiations with Iran

The spokesperson for Iran's Foreign Ministry described the Canadian House of Commons' approval of the proposal to "halt all negotiations and discussions with Iran for the resumption of relations" as a "strategic error" and called for its final approval to be prevented. In this proposal, which Prime Minister Justin Trudeau also voted in favor of, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps is designated as a "terrorist" organization. The proposal is currently in its early stages and has not yet become law. Bahram Qasemi, the spokesperson for Iran's Foreign Ministry, emphasized on Wednesday, June 13, that if this proposal is finally approved, it would be "a strategic and fundamental error with destructive consequences." He accused Canadian lawmakers of lacking "accurate and sufficient information" regarding what he called the "clear and logical positions of the Islamic Republic of Iran in combating the evil phenomenon of terrorism." Qasemi claimed that the "people of Iran" have been "one of the victims of violent and rampant terrorism" over the past decades and asserted that "world public opinion" will never accept the accusation of "Iran's support for terrorism." The Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson warned the Canadian government to "prevent the final approval of this proposal and its destructive impact on the relations between the two countries." Canada has not had relations with Iran since September 2012, when the then-government cut ties with Tehran due to what it described as Iran's "opaque nuclear program and military assistance to Syria." Canada also closed its visa and immigration office in Iran on April 29 of that year. However, following the Iran nuclear agreement with six world powers known as the JCPOA in July 2015 and the coming to power of Justin Trudeau's government, Canada announced its readiness to re-establish diplomatic relations with the Islamic Republic. Recent developments in Canada-Iran relations come after U.S. President Donald Trump announced on May 8 that Washington would withdraw from the nuclear agreement with Iran and impose severe sanctions against Tehran. The proposal to "halt all negotiations and discussions with Iran for the resumption of relations" was presented by Garnett Genuis, a Conservative MP. He listed numerous reasons for considering Iran as an "undesirable actor" and called for cutting contacts with it. However, what is noteworthy in his insistence is that the ultimate solution is "regime change" in Iran. According to the German news agency, Genuis stated: "Political change in Iran is our most important and achievable strategic goal in the region. We must immediately neutralize the security threats posed to Israel and our allies." This Canadian MP emphasized that "most importantly, we must focus on expanding freedom, democracy, human rights, and the rule of law for the 80 million Iranians who are currently suffering from their absence." According to the 2006 census in Canada, there are over 120,000 Iranians residing in the country, whose relatives in Iran need visas to visit them and travel to Canada.