Mr. Speaker, on September 7, 2012, Canada closed its embassy in Iran and declared personae non gratae all remaining Iranian diplomats in Canada. At the same time, Canada designated the Iranian regime as a state sponsor of terrorism under the Justice for Victims of Terrorism Act, JVTA.
The above decisions were taken as the result of the Iranian regime’s own actions, and reflect Canada’s view that the Iranian regime is the most significant threat to global peace and security in the world today. The Iranian regime is providing increasing military assistance to the Assad regime; it refuses to comply with UN resolutions pertaining to its nuclear program; it routinely threatens the existence of Israel and engages in racist anti-Semitic rhetoric and incitement to genocide; it is among the world’s worst violators of human rights; and it shelters and materially supports terrorist groups. The Minister of Foreign Affairs is briefed regularly, by senior officials, on the threat posed by Iran to international peace and security.
The closure of the Embassy of Canada in Tehran was also the result of Iran’s blatant disregard for the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations and its guarantee of protection for diplomatic personnel. Our diplomats serve Canada as civilians, and their safety is our number one priority. As such, the Minister of Foreign Affairs is briefed regularly, by senior officials, on the security of Canada’s missions abroad and any developments that require a review of security measures or risk assessments with regard to a specific mission.
The specific details of materials prepared for the government concerning policy options developed in response to the Iranian threat, together with ongoing risk assessments for individual missions, are protected.