Iran denounced a Canadian court's ruling ordering the seizure of Iranian assets under the excuse of alleged involvement in terrorist activities, saying such a move is at odds with Ottawa's claim of wanting normal ties with Tehran.
"The move by the Canadian government contradicts claims about the normalization of relations between the two countries and making amends for the extremist policies of that country's former government," Foreign Ministry spokesman Hossein Jaberi Ansari said on Saturday, Press TV reported.
The ruling comes as Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's Liberal government seeks to fulfill one of its campaign promises to restore diplomatic relations with Iran.
"Canada's Ontario Superior Court of Justice has issued a political ruling based on groundless allegations about Iran's so-called support for terrorist groups," he added and noted that the verdict endorses the confiscation of 13 million dollars of Iranian assets.
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He said Iran regards the move as "a new step in the direction of the hostile policies of the former extremist government of Canada, which was removed by popular vote."
The spokesperson emphasized that the recognition and enforcement of the politically-motivated rulings handed down in absentia by US courts, which have been endorsed by the Ontario Superior Court of Justice, run counter to the international commitments of the Canadian government and the recognized norms of international law on the judicial immunity of governments and their properties.
He reiterated that any normalization of diplomatic relations between Tehran and Ottawa "requires a fundamental revision of past extremist and incorrect policies of the Canadian government such as the violation of judicial immunity of the Iranian government."
Jaberi Ansari said the Islamic Republic reminds the Canadian government of its international responsibility to protect Iranian assets in that country.
Iran reserves the right to take necessary measures to restore its legal rights such as seeking damages, he said.
