The Expulsion of an Iranian Regime Affiliate from Canada is Confirmed; Majid Iranmanesh on the List of 10 Iranians Subject to Expulsion

On Friday, February 1, Global News Canada announced that the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada has issued an expulsion order for Majid Iranmanesh, an official of the Islamic Republic of Iran who has been living in Toronto for the past eight months. Canada has identified Majid Iranmanesh as a 'senior member of the repressive regime of Iran' and, considering his previous position as 'Director General of the Vice Presidency for Science and Technology in Iran,' deemed him unworthy of continuing to live in Canada. On January 11, during a hearing regarding this accusation, Majid Iranmanesh denied holding a senior position in the Iranian government and stated that he intended to spend a year as a visiting professor at the University of Victoria. However, the Canada Border Services Agency stated that he 'remains a senior influential official' in the Iranian government and must be expelled. It is reported that Majid Iranmanesh has requested the court to agree to his voluntary departure from Canada and refrain from issuing an expulsion order, as receiving an expulsion order from Canada could complicate his travels to other countries. He is one of nine officials affiliated with the Islamic Republic who are on Canada's blacklist and facing expulsion. The tenth individual has already voluntarily left Canada. The Canada Border Services Agency previously announced that the cases of ten 'senior officials' of the Islamic Republic residing in Canada have been submitted to the Immigration Commission for expulsion. Global News had previously reported that Salman Samani, a senior official in the Ministry of Interior during Hassan Rouhani's government, and Rouhollah Firouznameh, who has collaborated for years in installing security cameras with the Islamic Republic, are also on the verge of expulsion from Canada. Canada considers the Iranian government a 'regime involved in terrorism and gross and systematic human rights violations' and, following the killing of Mahsa Amini and widespread protests by Iranians, has enacted laws that effectively bar tens of thousands of officials from the Islamic Republic and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps from entering and residing in Canada. Canada has also deprived 12 Iranian universities and research institutions of receiving 'government research funding.'